Tenchi Beginnings
by zkadams
Summary: This is an entire re-imagining of the Tenchi Muyo/Tenchi Universe/Tenchi in Tokyo. The characters have darker personalities and darker back stories. The love is still there, but in a very different way. I'll update as I write more.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue: Beginnings Recalled**

The sun beat down on the shrine as it had nearly all summer, while a young man worked diligently to sweep the path leading up to it. Sweat dripped off his brow a bit, and the young man decided to take a small respite by leaning on his broom and breathing deeply. _It is certainly another hot one today_, he thought. This fleeting thought lent itself to another: the more things change, the more they stay the same. The young man chuckled to himself and proceeded to get back to work. Who would have thought so many extraordinary things would happen to him, Tenchi Masaki?

A year ago, Tenchi would not have dreamed of anything of the sort. The only things about him that seemed to set him a part is the fact that he is the heir to a shinto shrine in the mountains and that he lost his mother while still very young. In any case, it was nothing that could be considered alien to human experience. This was, of course, just before Tenchi realized where his blood truly came from and what power was buried deep within his being. It is indeed interesting how little one can know about one's self.

Tomorrow would mark a year to the day that Tenchi's life changed forever. The day that would mark the beginning of a Tenchi's crash course in growing up. It all started with a legend, the legend of the very shrine he tended to in the summer with his grandfather. The Masaki Shrine was said to be a site that housed a demon that attacked Japan many ages ago. Tenchi's ancestor, Yosho, was the great warrior who defeated the demon with a spiritually powerful sword and imprisoned the demon in a cave that the shrine was later founded upon. Tenchi had listened to his grandfather, Katsuhito Masaki, bend his ear with stories of the legendary warrior Yosho and the demon. As a child, the stories captivated him, and he spent a lot of time trying to sneak into the cave, much to his grandfather's chagrin. As Tenchi grew older, he viewed the legends as just that—legends. How little it turned out he knew.

**A Year and a Day Ago**

Tenchi Masaki had plans this morning, interesting plans. Oh, yes, Tenchi would do something he had wanted to do for 10 years: enter the cave of the Great Demon. The problem was always that his grandfather kept the keys on his person and, despite his age, was an incredibly formidable opponent. It was actually surprising how spry and quick the old man was. However, this time would be different. Tenchi felt quite sure of it.

Tenchi slowed as he got near his grandfather's room. As was custom, he knocked once and waited for his grandfather's response. "Come in!" said Katsuhito, and Tenchi complied. "Hi, grandpa! What's on our schedule for today?" he said while holding one hand behind his head in mild embarrassment. He felt as though his plan was falling apart already as he had noticed his grandfather's shrewd look and realised that he had asked probably the dumbest question of his young life. _Ah, well. I'll just plunge on through, _he thought. However, before he could say anything, Katsuhito said, "Come now, Tenchi. You surely know the routine by now. Why are you really here? Not after the keys to the shrine again are we?" Tenchi chose then to announce his intentions. "Yes, grandfather," he said.

Katsuhito surveyed his grandson and decided to test him. Perhaps, he was now old enough to handle his duties to the innermost parts of the shrine. Katsuhito had attempted to prevent Tenchi from exploring the full nature of what lies within the shrine for many years. For reasons he kept to himself, he was reticent to push Tenchi into the sort of tradition he was pushed into. The family had not only kept the shrine and its protections in shape; there was a very dark history behind it all. This revelation Katsuhito wanted to keep to himself. But, he also felt bound by his family traditions.

In any case, Tenchi still had to get the keys from him before he would have anything to worry about; and, the old man had no intention of making it easy for his grandson. "Very well, Tenchi. You may have the keys," Katsuhito began, "if you can take them from me. Come at me!" Surprised, Tenchi paused for a second and decided his move. Tench feigned an attack with his right fist and tried to grab inside his grandfather's robe with his left. The moves were easily parried and used Tenchi's momentum against him. However, as he fell forward, he swept his right foot under his grandfather's feet. This surpised Katsuhito, but he turned his momentum into a roll and then used the wall to gain momentum for his own strike. Tenchi was ready for him and blocked Katsuhito's strike and planted one firm elbow into his grandfather's chest. He then used that same arm and hand to reach into his grandfather's pocket and grab the keys.

Katsuhito bent over winded and shocked. After all these years, Tenchi had finally bested him. There was no denying it now, the boy had strength enough to take on the challenge left to him by his ancestors. Still, Tenchi was such a naturally gentle spirit. He certainly never took to swordplay like Katsuhito himself; but then, maybe that was because Katsuhito knew of his family's dark truth at an earlier age. Maybe Katsuhito was just naturally more cruel than Tenchi. The old man sighed inwardly and then said, "Well done, Tenchi. You have finally bested me. There is much you need to know; now that you are ready." Tenchi perked up at this, curious. "What do you mean, grandpa?" he said with his eyebrows raised.

"I mean I need you to know the real truth of the shrine, of the truth about the demon within." said Katsuhito in clipped tones. His grandfather's sudden change in demeanor troubled Tenchi. He was starting to doubt that the legends were, indeed, just legends. "Grandpa, what's wrong," he asked, "I'm older now and I am fairly sure the legends aren't true. What more could you possibly say on the matter?" It was Katsuhito's turn to to raise his eyebrows, in his case it was a gesture of annoyance. "Listen here, Tenchi: just because you finally defeated me in battle does not mean you can speak to me in any kind of way!" said Katsuhito. Blanched by his mistake, Tenchi bowed deeply and said, "My apologies, grandfather. I will accept anything more you have to teach me."

Satisfied by this apology, Katsuhito then said "Tenchi, the demon in the story is real. I have fought her myself." Tenchi nearly scoffed at this but instead asked, "How is that possible, grandpa?" Katsuhito sighed again and said, "It is possible because every male member of our family must defeat the demon and reimprison it. To do this, they must first (quite obviously) free the demon." This flat out surprised Tenchi and it showed in his face. "You mean, the demon has been released only to be imprisoned again and again as a way of showing a man's worth?" he said. "Yes, Tenchi, that is so." Katsuhito replied.

Katsuhito felt filled to the brim with a deep shame. He still was not sure if he should tell Tenchi the most surprising aspect of this bundle of truth, the fact that the "demon" was simply a gifted and dangerous girl with special powers. How could Tenchi, whom he knew so well, continue with the tradition if he knew the threat was just a girl? Katsuhito was not so sure he would. At that moment, Katsuhito chose not to reveal that bit of information. The tradition must be upheld, he was bound.

"Tenchi, this is the tradition and it must be upheld. We must know that we leave the shrine in able hands should an accident happen. We need to know that things will continue as they have for centuries." Katsuhito said bluntly. "You are now considered ready for this burden. I would advise you to go and explore the cave the demon is imprisoned in, now." Tenchi jumped into attention at this and, despite his misgivings, said "Yes, grandfather. I will continue the family's traditions."

**The Cave**

Tenchi arrived at the cave by early evening. He chose to eat a hardy lunch and plan his excursion before going. If he was indeed ready, the demon should be bested easily. After all, he had beaten his grandfather. He was surely strong enough by now.

Still, he felt that this tradition was somehow wrong. _Why must we do this to the demon, _Tenchi thought. _Even if a creature is evil, it is still a creature. This surely is wrong. _Tenchi swallowed as he neared the mouth of the cave in the waning light of the evening. This felt rather mindless and unnecessary to him. If he was good enough to defeat his grandfather, why must he further prove his worth? If his grandfather beat the demon then Tenchi should be able to beat the demon by proxy. He imagined that maybe his grandfather's skills had diminished for a second, but then dismissed his thought. There was no difference in his grandfather's skills. Tenchi had previously noted how amazing his grandfather was even now. The man was ancient, and yet...

Tenchi stopped short at the gate at the entrance, and pulled out the keys he had gained that morning. Placing the key in the lock, he entered the cave. Tenchi gasped a little in surprise as he took in his new surroundings. Within the cave was an intricate set of decorations all centered around a great stone with a sword stuck in it. On the walls were various symbols in a curious language that Tenchi could not make out and drawings of various entanglements with the demon therein. His ancestors, in any case, were very proud of their accomplishments. Deeper into the cave was another locked gate and it glinted with a blue-green light that came from beyond it.

Upon further investigation of the glyphs and drawings, Tenchi noticed that every single combatant held a similar sword; the handle, at least. It was the same handle that he noticed on the sword stuck in the stone. It was a very intricate pattern that resembled tightly woven tree branches. He could tell they were not really woven and that it was just a beautiful design. Tenchi also realized that the blade of the sword was represented by different colors, most times a deep red and sometimes other colors like blue or orange. He wondered what that could possibly mean, but decided it was a question that could wait.

He approached the sword tentatively and as he did he, by chance, looked up at the ceiling of the cave. There was a picture of a warrior pulling the sword from the stone with his eyes closed, signifying great concentration. It was internal concentration, Tenchi realized. The warrior did not look strained; in fact, he looked serene. The young man knew then how to retrieve the sword.

Tenchi stood next to the stone and breathed in deeply. He imagined the stone giving him the sword. He reached for the sword and it began to rise out of the stone. Out of the sword, as it continued to rise, poured out a rush of colors, reds, blues, purples, the rainbow. The cave filled with its light, but Tenchi did not break his concentration. As soon as he felt lead to, he grabbed the handle. The light immediately changed to a light blue and solidified into a one single beam. Tenchi opened his eyes as he brought the sword out fully and brandished it in one hand. _It's beautiful_, he thought. With a single thought he then made the sword draw back into itself.

After this, the gate to the innermost part of the shrine opened up. Apprehensive, Tenchi approached what he believed to be his destiny.

**Hello, Ryoko**

Tenchi walked into a large circular room that had been cut out of the cave. He continued with some trepidation, taking in his new surroundings. Unlike the part of the cave he just came left, this room was filled exceedingly dark. There were no decorations, unless one were to count the curved lines on the floor. They had a curious blue-green glow to them and lit the room just a bit. As Tenchi continued to walk forward, he saw—glowing faintly towards the back of the room—what appeared to be chains made from pure energy. They were also blue-green in color and led directly towards a dark figure who was prostrate before a small mound with a blue-green hole. The chains bound the figure and Tenchi could vaguely make out the figure breathing slowly and rhythmically. He continued first, assuming that this was the "demon."

Tenchi was actually quite taken aback by what his eyes were informing him with. First of all, the lone, chained figure seemed small and rather frail. This surely couldn't be the demon who nearly killed the legendary warrior in the stories. Admittedly, Tenchi expected something much larger and more menacing.

He was getting much closer to the mound now and could better make out his adversary. The thought of this thing or person or whatever being an adversary felt very strange in Tenchi's mind. He was terribly uneasy, and was not sure how he could continue. He swallowed slightly and trekked on. He was now right on top of the mound. Intuition told him that the sword doubled as a key. Tenchi extended the sword again and turned it towards the glowing hole.

"Oh, it's another one of you Masakis, eh?" said a voice in a tired and embittered tone. Startled Tenchi just stood there. The voice was, feminine. It sounded like a teenage girl, actually. _This doesn't make sense,_ Tenchi thought. "Not going to answer? Heh, what's it matter, anyhow? You are only here to continue my humiliation, aren't you?" the voice continued sounding vaguely resigned. Tenchi held his breath. "JUST DO IT ALREADY!" she screamed! Tenchi nodded and then plunged the sword into the the keyhole. The chains immediately disappeared. The figure stood up and Tenchi's eyes took in the slight figure of a girl who looked no older than he was. In the shadows he could barely make out her yellow eyes and slicked back haircut. Her hair was quite long and, even in the darkness, Tenchi could tell that her clothes were in tatters. Strangely enough, Tenchi felt extremely sorry for her.

"Take your sword and follow me." she commanded. Surprised again, Tenchi did as he was told, entranced by her presence. She walked towards the exit of the cave while Tenchi followed. The walk felt like it went on for hours, but soon they had reached the entrance of the cave. Once Tenchi sidled up beside her, the girl sighed deeply and then said, "Now, pray for the gems on your sword to be returned to me. They are...the source of my power."

Tenchi closed his eyes and prayed just as she asked. There was a light blue glow and all three gems at the end of Tenchi's sword appeared on the girls person. One on each wrist and a third on her forehead. After this was completed, and the glow subsided, the girl then said, "Now, you have five minutes to prepare yourself. I will show no mercy."

In the moonlight, Tenchi was able to get a better glimpse of the demon-girl. She looked human, except—of course—for her eyes. She was beautiful and looked delicate yet fierce. "I'm sorry, forgive my foolishness, but are you really the demon of the shrine?" he said. _Stupid question_, he thought. She merely gave him one quick contemptuous glance and made no reply. Determined to understand more, Tenchi said, "May I ask your name?" At this, Tenchi elicited a surprised look from the beautiful girl. "What's it to you, anyway? You're only here to hurt my pride and lock me back in that cold, dark room." she replied. Tenchi paused and took this in before continuing. "I know that's why I am supposed to be here. I am just wondering with whom I am dealing with and how it is you have come to be viewed as a demon. I'm also wondering why my grandfather did not tell me you would be a girl. You seem to be human." The girl raised her eyebrows even further than her previous surprised look allowed for. _What is it with this boy? Only one other has even cared to know who I am, _she thought.

She retorted with some venom and a hint of curiosity, "If you must know, I am called Ryoko." In her mind, Ryoko was thinking that Tenchi's eyes were as kind as she remembered. She had been able to watch him grow up by projecting her spirit to the end of the cave entrance. This was because, despite his grandfather's warning, Tenchi had always tried to sneak into the cave and visited there often. In fact, she remembered one particular snow filled day where Tenchi was huddled at the cave's mouth and weeping. She felt then that he was a bit different than the other Masakis. His questioning of her seemed to prove that. _Nonetheless, he is my enemy, _she thought. Wordlessly, the summoned an energy sphere and then compressed it into a blade. It glowed red and made a humming sound. "Prepare yourself!" she screamed.

In response, Tenchi quickly pulled out his blade and it extended to its full length. He turned to face her and said, "As you wish." He looked into her eyes and she looked into his. Her face was in set in a fierce expression, but her eyes seemed to be filled with tears. Tenchi thought this was curious, but felt like he had no choice. Ryoko attacked first, coming at him with her lightblade raised. She brought it down and he blocked it and used her moment to push her away from him. Ryoko grunted and then tried to hit Tenchi with a backwards kick. In response, he quickly backed up and then waited for her next move.

This continued for a while, Ryoko attacked and Tenchi parrying. Tenchi felt that she was fighting rather erratically. He wasn't sure why, but he certainly felt that her attacks did not match her fierce expression. He wondered what she was waiting for.

For her part, Ryoko kept attacking Tenchi. She had noticed he wasn't on the offensive at all. He was letting her make all of the moves. This annoyed her greatly; but, she kept at it, all the while waiting for the inevitable. It had been the same, after all, these 2000 years. With each generation, came another defeat and another long imprisonment. Ryoko had long ago given up on a different life and did not even really put effort forth anymore.

Deciding that she had waited long enough, Ryoko purposely let her momentum carry her too far and fell to her knees. _Well, this is it, _she thought. Tenchi turned and looked at Ryoko. His blade hung loosely at his side as her surveyed her. Ryoko was breathing in short quick gasps and seemed to be bracing herself for her imprisonment.

Remembering what he learned from the legends, Tenchi knew that he was to do. He knew that with one final blow, he could retrieve the gems he returned to the demon called Ryoko and put her back in her cave prison until the next Masaki came to call.

He looked at her, and she looked back. In her eyes, Tenchi saw humiliation, defeat, and a great sadness. He still could not get over how beautiful she was and how young she seemed. He knew, logically speaking, she was thousands of years old. Still, she gave of a distinct naivete.

Ryoko was growing impatient. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE PLAYING AT, MASAKI!" she screamed, "HURRY UP, DO YOUR DUTY! SEAL ME AWAY IN THAT COLD, DARK TOMB, AGAIN!" Now, Ryoko betrayed her first real sign of emotion. Tears began to stream silently down her face as she thought, _just let it end. Please, just let one of them kill me for once, _she thought frantically in her head.

Tenchi suddenly reached a decision, a momentous decision. He let the sword slide from his hand and it clattered loudly on the ground. "No," he said, "no more of this. This is...wrong." He meant it. He did not wish to be a part of his family if it meant subjecting someone, a thinking, feeling being, to indentured torture. It was inhuman. He cursed his the blood running through his veins and wondered how his family could have wondered down such a path. "No, no, no." he said. "Ryoko, leave this place. Do harm to no one and live in peace. You seem to deserve that." He started to walk away.

Ryoko just watched him with tears drying on her face. He was some distance away before she truly realized that he was serious. _No Masaki would do this,_ she thought. She did not believe it until Tenchi had disappeared into the forest. Ryoko nearly panicked for a second, what was she to do now? Where was she to go? She had known nothing else for over 2000 years. She was a demon, she was a terror. So she had been told, anyhow. After so many years, she had begun to believe it. She did, after all, possess a great and terrifying power. Was it so difficult to trace that into demonhood?

Most of all, despite herself, Ryoko wondered if she would see Tenchi again. His eyes were still so kind and the strength he possessed was alluring. What sort of strength could a man possess that he would go against his family's belief system and wishes and grant mercy to a demon-girl? A demon-girl that had been reviled and hated for so many years. Did history mean nothing to him? Why was he so different? Why did he remind her of that other Masaki? She had to know.

As she took to the air, she began to look for Tenchi. She did so quietly, with the wind ruffling her hair as she went. A ghost of a smile flitted across her face. She had forgotten the joys of flying, of free movement! This was exhilirating. If she never figured out anything else, just being able to fly fast and free was worth this strange turn of events. It hit her, she was truly free. Surely, Tenchi would have come back and finished her off if it was a cruel trick. She could not help but trust those eyes of his. She could not understand why she felt this way either. Among other things, she hoped she would come to understand that too, in time.

_First thing's first,_ Ryoko thought, _I need to find this strange Masaki_. Thus, she flew on until she found the house where Tenchi and his grandfather slept. She kept watch on them and slept on a shady side of the roof when she fell tired.

For Tenchi's part, he had a fitful night of sleep. He would have to explain himself to his grandfather in the morning. Who was he to make a decision like that? _Still, _he thought,_ there is no way in hell that grandfather could defend keeping a girl like that locked away._Tenchi still felt an intense and deep shame about the whole tradition.

**Ayeka and Sasami**

At this time, off in space, Ayeka was pacing in her quarters on her ship Ryu-Oh. It was a nervous habit she had recently gained because of events on her home planet, Jurai. These events were so horrific that Ayeka worried herself constantly about what her and her young sister, Sasami, would do, where they could go, whom they could trust, and how they could live.

They had only just escaped a massacre by a supposed heir to the Juraian throne, Kagato. Kagato had staged a bloody coup that ended with the entire royal family of Jurai, except for Sasami and Ayeka, dead, their blood still drying in certain areas of the palace.

Kagato showed a mastery and power unlike any Juraian before him, barring the Legendary Warrior. Besides being powerful, he was imbued with a great malice and greed. His heart was as black as space and intentions were even darker. No one had known where he had come from, but before they were destroyed Ayeka had gotten some information from her mother on the matter.

Years ago, a warrior unlike any seen before on Jurai had come into being. He was a good man then, and laughed often. His best friend was Yosho, and they often sparred together, both growing in power. While Yosho was as formidable as this other warrior, his heart was not taken in by his vast power. Yosho had a good heart. His friend, on the other hand, was not so strong. His Juraian power turned inward and drove him insane. He became pitiless and greedy, and cared for nothing but power.

In the end, Yosho had to defeat his best friend in battle. The fight between the two was fierce, and much of Jurai was torn in the skirmish, so great was their power. Yosho defeated his friend, and banished him. That man ran off into the dark galaxy never to be heard from again, but not before declaring that he would return and rule Jurai someday. At least, that's what was believed. As for Ayeka, she had suspicions about this, Kagato, character and knew that no male in the current generation had such power. She felt sure that Kagato was once that warrior who fled Jurai in disgrace. However, Ayeka had no proof of this, as no one remembered what he looked like nor his name.

Yosho, for his part, fled to a far off planet called Earth, where there was a colony of Juraians and life returned to normal.

It was on these things and more that Ayeka dwelled on and fought off sleep for. Yosho's depature did not leave everyone happy, Ayeka in particular. She was heartbroken for a number of years, though she certainly learned to numb the pain. The problem was that she had been in love with Yosho. They were to be married, as they were both of royal blood and great Juraian power. She was happy about it, Yosho was such a kind and good man. She felt very lucky, but he had left her with not so much as a word and never returned.

Since fleeing Jurai, all Ayeka could think to do was head to Earth. Staying on Jurai meant certain death, and at least there were other Juraians. Most of all, she would possibly be able to run into Yosho. She did not know if he even went to the Juraian colony or if he went off by himself. The colony had been out of contact with the homeworld for ages upon ages. They were likely very different people than those who left. How Juraian would they be at this point? Ayeka had no idea, but they were her people none the less.

Finally worn down, Ayeka went into her dressing room and put on her dressing gown. She wrapped her elegant purple hair up and prepared herself for bed. Though she was still very wound up, sleep found her almost instantly.

In her own area of the ship, Sasami was crying silently to herself. She was already dressed for bed but was overcome with emotion just before she reached her bed. Everyone was gone, except for Ayeka and their two wooden guardians. Mother, father, everyone, gone. It was just too much. Sasami felt completely broken; but, even then, she worried about her elder sister. Their recent trials had clearly embittered her. She was shorter with Sasami and kept to herself far more. Sasami could not seem to reach her. Ayeka was so far away even in the same room. Sasami could only hope that things would improve once among their own people again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Little Washu**

Tenchi awoke with a start. He did not sleep well again and had not since the night he let Ryoko go. He wondered where she was now and what she was doing. She couldn't be harming people, because he would hear about that. Disasters didn't go unnoticed in Japan. He was finally back home in Tokyo with his father, Nobuyuki, away from the shrine and all its evil portents, its shame.

The morning after his encounter with Ryoko, Tenchi approached Katsuhito about the demon-girl. At first, he was only met with silence. Then after confirming that Tenchi had—indeed—let her go, Katsuhito began by reprimanding him for going against the traditions of his people and then immediately applauded Tenchi for doing so.

"This has needed to be stopped since the beginning. Our original intent was not what we began." he told Tenchi. "It all started when one head of the family decided that he would take the demon on for sport. He purposefully resurrected her, and returned to her her powers, just to strip them away again." Tenchi had been wondering where the tradition came from, and was relieved to find that all of his ancestors were not mere beasts. Still, what had happened. Katsuhito then informed him that this former head of the family—the one credited with the demon ritual—originally forced his young men to go through it. He felt that they needed to have their mettle tested. He was mad. He was wicked.

In subsequent generations, Katsuhito wearily told his grandson, they began to like the ritual. The family had become inbred and as wicked as that now ancient leader of the clan. They lost their touch what was true and important.

The first sign of change came with the arrival of Yosho, Katsuhito's father. Yosho had come from a far away land where their people originally came from. He joined the colony and adopted many of their ways of living. He never spoke of his past. He married and had Katsuhito.

However, while Katsuhito was still very young, the villagers grew restless about Yosho avoiding the one thing they deemed necessary to a young man—the demon ritual. Yosho tried to keep it at bay and talk about raising his family first, but the current leader of the Masaki had fallen ill and the people felt that no one might be able to stand up and lead. They had a feeling about Yosho, but wanted to be sure. They pressured him.

Yosho then flat out refused. It would be the last thing he did. The Masaki rose up against him in full force. Yosho was formidable, unlike any warrior before him and dispatched many as they came in droves. Katsuhito watched with his mother from the shadows. Eventually, the villagers began to make headway with their numbers. They overpowered Yosho and killed him. Katsuhito's father died right before his eyes.

Katsuhito and his mother were adopted into another family and when the time came for Katsuhito to go through the ritual. He did it as well as any before had, but he did it—as he told Tenchi wiping a tear from his eye—with great sadness. Katsuhito could not act as he wished because he needed to be there for his mother. He could not do as Tenchi had done, he was too weak to stop it.

Years later, there were wars with other tribes (some of whom were distantly related to the Masaki) and disease broke out. Katsuhito and his family were the only ones who survived in that area. This was, to his mind, a just end to these particular Masakis. Maybe the heavens knew his heart, because he was spared. In any case, Katsuhito's daughter was Tenchi's mother and it was their blood that ran through his veins.

When asked why he forced Tenchi to fight the demon, Katsuhito merely stated, "I had to see for myself what I had always known. That all of that would truly end with you and that we had raised you well enough to bring about future glory for the Masaki."

"You are the heir to Yosho, a legendary warrior. A man with such great power that it took a clan to defeat him." Katsuhito had said. "I leave everything in your hands, for I am not so young now and may pass. Please, take care of us."

Tenchi was pleased enough with these answers, but was still vexed by his family's past and the fact that it was up to him to bring about a brighter future. Once again, Tenchi felt trapped into a position he had no desire to be in. Who was his grandfather to put such a burden on him? How could he even manage something like that?

Most of all, Tenchi wondered about that demon-girl and where she was. _ I, at least, may have helped her, _he thought. It was strange to Tenchi to be returning to his normal life in Tokyo. He sighed as he got into his school uniform and headed to the train.

Upon arriving at his school, Tenchi was greeted by familiar friends and a familiar setting. He parried questions about his summer by inquiring about his friends' various activities. One of his friends, Amagasaki, made—as usual—a pointed and insensitive joke about Tenchi's dating life. Tenchi—again as usual—slapped Amagasaki in the bad of head and told him to get a life.

_Yeah, everything is essentially back to normal only this time I cannot share what happened to me at grandfather's shrine, _thought Tenchi.

They all headed to class and were greeted by a new teacher, something not wholly unexpected since they had graduated to another grade. Still, she was unusual by normal 'teacher standards'. First of all, she had striking pink hair cut in an extravagant fashion. In fact, the front of her haircut somewhat resembled a crab. Besides this, she looked exceedingly young. Granted, japanese women age well. This new professor took this fact to new heights. She seemed barely the age of the students.

"Settle down now, class." the new teacher said with a grin. "Have a seat." The class quickly did as told and prepared themselves for her introduction. "My name is Professor Washu, and I am your new physics teacher. I just recently moved here and acquired this position," she stated and then continued, "I must also tell you two important details that may shock you: First, I am the greatest scientific mind in the universe, believe it! Second, you must all call me "Little Washu! As I am obviously to pretty to be called 'miss' or 'misses.'" This, of course, shocked the class. It was terribly informal and made everyone a little uncomfortable—including Tenchi.

She spirited around the room like a sprite and went up to the blackboard. She proceeded to write an immensely complicated equation and promptly said, "This is the most elementary fact about our universe, and it is what you are here to...understand, if you will." Everyone in the classroom just stared. They had never seen half of those symbols before. _This class is going to be hell,_ Tenchi thought.

Seeming as though she had not seen the rush of dead pan faces and went over to her desk. "I don't expect any of you to get it just yet. Let's take baby steps shall we?" She smiled playfully and said, "Let's take role shall we?"

"...Hinata Higa...ah, I see you're there. Ryoko Hakubi?" Washu raised her eyebrows. _Could it be,_ she thought. Washu looked up to see a girl in the corner with yellow eyes and greenish hair. _It was her,_ Washu thought.

At the same time, Tenchi looked back and was shocked to see yellow-eyed girl in the back of class. He had only seen eyes like that once before. _You're kidding me, _he thought. She showed no recognition of him, and merely raised her hand quietly. The demon-girl, Ryoko was at his school. She was one of his classmates now. _How strange it is to be me_, Tenchi thought as he sighed and turned back towards the front of the class. This is going to be an interesting day.

The class continued with Professor "Little" Washu giving them far easier problems to work, much to everyone's relief. The period ended without much fanfare and the day was pretty normal for Tenchi, except for catching glimpses of the demon-girl. She consistently paid him no mind and went about her day as if they didn't know each other.

In reality, Ryoko had been watching Tenchi all day, but was coy enough to keep him guessing. She planned to get him alone, but wasn't sure when the best time would be. Perhaps it would be lunch, only time would tell.

Back in her classroom, Washu feverishly typed at a computer that looked like it wasn't there. She needed to make sure that Ryoko was indeed _her _Ryoko. After all these years of searching she seems to have finally found her baby girl.

**Revelations**

Tenchi decided that he needed to be alone with his thoughts for lunch. So, he dodged Amagasaki and made his way up to the school roof. It was usually locked; but, years ago, he had found the hidden key and often went up there to be by himself. At heart, Tenchi liked things to be quiet. It was a great treat for him.

As Tenchi began to open his lunch near the edge of the roof, Ryoko's face suddenly popped out of the roof before him. "Boo!" she said. Of course, Tenchi jumped and nearly tossed his sandwich over the roof. "Oh, did I scare you?" Ryoko said coyly. Tenchi shut his eyes, shook his head, and declared, "No, not at all!" When Tenchi had opened his eyes, he noticed that Ryoko was smilingly playfully at him. "Oh, alright. Yes, you startled me. There, are you happy?" Tenchi said as Ryoko made a little squeak and nodded as a response.

"I have been thinking about you," said Ryoko rather shyly, "Everything about my life changed the night we met." This slightly embarrassed Tenchi, but he was not altogether unpleased. In fact, he had been worried about her ever since he let her go. He deduced from their current situation that she had, at least, kept any possible mayhem she could cause to a bare minimum. He had not heard anything anyway. In response he said, "Yeah, I have wondered about you since I left you. What have you been up to?"

Ryoko was elated that Tenchi was concerned, but was not about to let that on. "What's it to you, Masaki?" she retorted. Not put off in the least, Tenchi waited quietly. After a few moments, Ryoko theatrically sighed and said, "Alright, alright. I'll let you know."

She chose to keep the fact of her sleeping on Tenchi's roof initially to herself and instead started at when she arrived in Tokyo the next day. "I flew to Tokyo the morning after we fought and decided that I was hungry. I went into an old man's shop and, knowing I didn't have any money, attempted to rob him. I usually have a rule about harming innocents, but I had no choice, you know? Anyway, as I was trying to sneak out with a couple days worth of food, the old man who owned the place accosted me." Tenchi interjected, "Wait, what do you mean you flew?" Ryoko merely looked at him and said, "I can fly, dummy. Don't you know that? How closely did you listen to the stories you demented family no doubt told about me? Anyway, that isn't the point! Pay attention!"

Tenchi nodded again and Ryoko continued, "The man asked me why such a beautiful young lady was committing such a crime. I didn't respond initially and in that time he took account of my clothes, the tattered rags I wore when I fought you."

"Apparently, this concerned him and he told me that he could give me more permanent living quarters and food if I just didn't rob him now. I was skeptical at first, but felt like I had nothing to lose and it was unlikely that I couldn't overpower the old man if I could."

"He took me home to meet his wife and they gave me a place to stay. It seems that they had always wanted a child, but couldn't bear children. They saw me as an opportunity to do some child rearing. They washed me up and fed me. Then they pulled some strings and arranged for me to attend school. I think they are hoping I can keep up..."

"Anyway, that is about it. Humans outside of your family are quite lovely it seems. I couldn't rightfully refuse their help and decided to come to school. However, I didn't realize that you went here; that, my friend, can be considered a bonus." She refused to go any further with that statement, and Tenchi wondered what that would mean in the end. He hoped perhaps she was on her way to forgiving him and his family (and possibly humanity) because she had not tried to kill him on the spot. Though he didn't show it, he was certainly intrigued by the, now he realized, green haired beauty and wanted to understand her more.

He thought a moment and then asked, "So, where does this leave us? You know, you being here and all?" Ryoko sighed a little and shrugged. Who knew? It would certainly be interesting though.

They chatted a while, small talk really. Each was too afraid to probe too deeply. It was rather awkward at times, their relationship was—after all—complicated. The lunch period was short and they both went inside and went their separate ways.

The school day went pretty normally after that and Tenchi was about to head home when, Ryoko suddenly appeared again just as everyone had left the building. Ryoko and Tenchi found themselves alone in the entry hallway of the school.

She immediately hugged Tenchi from behind and intimately whispered in his ear, "Care to take me home, Tenchi?" Tenchi burned with embarrassment and took an appraisal of his surroundings. There was no one there it seemed. He sighed a little and said, "Aren't we being a little forward, Ryoko? What's the big idea?" That was the sort of gesture one got from one's girlfriend, not from the former monster that your family had imprisoned.

Ryoko made herself to answer, but was interrupted by someone clearing their throat quietly behind them. Ryoko rounded on this new person and found herself face to face with Ms. Washu who had a small smile on her face. Realizing that it was merely a teacher, Ryoko rolled her eyes a bit and made to move Tenchi to the, ironically, privacy of the outdoors. "Hold on a minute there, little Ryoko." said Washu in a small voice.

Ryoko was about to make an ill advised retort when Tenchi said, "Come on, Ryoko. She is one of our professors. Let's show some respect, huh?" At this, Ryoko sighed and whispered in Tenchi's ear, "We still have some things to talk about, Masaki. Don't you forget it."

Tenchi faced Miss Washu and said, "Please forgive Ryoko, little Washu. She seems to be a tad bullish at times." He bowed deeply to show his respect.

Washu looked at him with some interest and then replied, "Thank you, Mr. Masaki." She continued, "Now, Ryoko Hakubi, I have some urgent business to discuss with you. How is it that you came to be on this planet?" Ryoko's eyes widened as Washu then stated, "Yes, I know that you are not a human, Ryoko. Surprised, aren't you?"

"Wh- What are you getting at lady!" Ryoko said in a brazen tone that she realized she hadn't made in years. How could this strange lady know that she wasn't human? Ryoko looked quite human and there were plenty of human girls who spent their time coloring her hair. _Just what is Washu after_, Ryoko thought.

Ryoko felt her muscles steeling for a fight. For whatever reason, this encounter was putting her on edge. If it came down to it, Ryoko would fight for her life. She had done a lot of things while under control of that man, so long ago. However, Ryoko was not interested in her past coming to haunt her again. She wanted to leave all that behind in the cave, and perhaps explore something new with Tenchi.

Tenchi sensed that something was amiss, but could not say what. He tensed himself as well, though he was not nearly as freaked out as Ryoko was. Tenchi wondered what she was thinking. He could tell that she was afraid and put off by this encounter.

Washu decided that it was best to keep going. "Ryoko, this is going to be hard to hear; but, I know that you are not a human girl because I am not a human girl either. In fact, we're related. We come from the same world. The only world that even the Jurai Royal Family held as equal to themselves," she said

"Ryoko, I am...your mother. I am your mother, Ryoko, and I have been looking for you so very long." Washu said while a silent tear suddenly started to run down her face.

Bald shock flitted across Ryoko's face before she put on her tough persona again. My_ mother,_ Ryoko thought, _how could that be?_ It just did not make any sense. She hadn't seen her mother for so many years due to her kidnapping by that doctor and due to her imprisonment at the Masaki Shrine. Her mother? She could hardly remember the woman. In any case, Washu had to at least be an alien. She knows about the Jurai Royal family.

"What are you talking about, lady," Ryoko demanded, "How can YOU be my mother! I haven't seen my MOTHER for well over 3000 years!" Ryoko started to stalk forward as she said these things and continued, "Who are you to come in here and claim to be someone I can hardly remember! What could you possibly know about me! About anything! Who are you, really! 'Cause I ain't buying it!" Ryoko raised her fist, Tenchi started to move forward to stop her, and Washu merely stood there.

Wild energy popped from Ryoko's fist as she reared back to strike Washu. The dimmed hallway crackled with red-orange light and lit up Washu's tear stained face. Tenchi was running now to stop Ryoko, but without his sword—and with Ryoko's head start—he was not going to get there in time.

Ryoko's fist swung through the air and hit! A doll, a doll in the likeness of Washu and with a bow on top of it. The doll flew backwards in the hall and hit the wall at the very end.

Ryoko was stooped over from the weight of her enraged blow and surprise at Washu's quickness.

Washu was safely sitting on top of some lockers, well out of harms way. Her green eyes glinted in the dimmed light as she said, "Now that we have gotten that out of the way, allow me to prove it to you Ryoko. First of all, my last name is Hakubi, just like yours. Secondly, I know about the birthmark on your right inner thigh. It is a small mole just a few inches from your knee. Most importantly, I know that you were taken from me by Dr. Clay many years ago."

The mention of Dr. Clay's name got Ryoko's attention at once. It was a name she wished to forget, but the knowledge of it could not have come to just any one. There had to be some truth in what Washu was saying. She knew of a birthmark that only those intimate with Ryoko would know and she knew the doctor. That wicked, wicked man. Ryoko shivered just remembering how things were with Dr. Clay and how it ended with her being imprisoned by the Masakis. She was such a danger then, a horror. It was no wonder the first Masaki locked her up. _That did not give them a right to have made sport of her though_, Ryoko thought furiously.

There were so many emotions rushing through Ryoko that she felt almost faint. She remembered vaguely being taken from her mother while very young. _I had to be around 200 when that happened, _Ryoko recalled. She felt weak as she remembered a flash of color that matched Washu's hair. The color had pleasant associations for Ryoko and, despite her weakness, she was starting to make sense of thing. _Could it be, _she thought. Ryoko's eyes began to glisten.

Tenchi, for his part, was still in shocked from Washu's proclamation and Ryoko's subsequent attack. He was not sure how to process any of this, but knew that someone had to be trained or perhaps an alien to dodge Ryoko that easily. Washu, it seems, was no slouch.

Washu watched Ryoko intently, while her eyes glistened in the relative darkness. Ryoko was just as fiery as she remembered, though maybe a bit more angry than when she last saw her. Washu sighed a bit, despite all the troubles her daughter had gone through, she felt that Ryoko was very strong and still in good condition. Things could be mended, now that they were reunited.

To Ryoko, Washu said, "Do you believe me, now?" Ryoko turned and looked at Washu. In response Ryoko said, "What could it possibly matter if I do?"

Washu winced a little as though struck a blow. Ryoko's words hit Washu right in her heart. She had, after all, felt directly responsible for Ryoko's kidnapping and all that came from that. Washu desperately wanted to mend all this, and hoped that she would be given that chance. More could be explained and understood between them. Things could get back to like they were in the first 200 years, and even better than that. Washu firmly believed all this with all her heart. It was all she had held on to, and all that kept her going all these years. This first step was painful, but it could be endured.

Immediately trying to build a bridge between her and her daughter, Washu said, "Look, I know you cannot be happy with me. After I allowed you to be kidnapped, your whole life changed. I am so sorry for that, and I hope that you can see that. I just need to you know that I have looked for you all over the universe since you were kidnapped. I followed Clay when he left this galaxy and followed him back. I have no idea where he is now, but my search eventually lead me here. I have found you, Ryoko."

Ryoko was not moved and still filled with a feeling that mixed pain, anger, hope, and desire all into one terrible ailment. She found that she could not move. This was all, quite simply, impossible. So impossible, that she still couldn't quite let herself believe it. After all, what would it mean, really? Ryoko's yellow eyes showed a little mist, but she would not give into this. She had been through too much. She was not going to make this easy for Washu. Choosing not to answer, Ryoko shrugged with a rather indifferent aire.

Washu was not going to give up so easily. "Where are you staying, Ryoko? Allow me to accompany you and I can explain more." She waited intently, not taking her eyes of her daughter.

Tenchi, for his part, was at a lost of what to do or say. He was, however, fairly sure that he was witnessing some of the more far-reaching impacts that his decision about Ryoko. _How curious, _he thought, _who would have thought I would have such a strange first day of school and that it would culminate in this._

Ryoko was still standing—attempting to look indifferent, but failing miserably. Try as she might, she could not simply dismiss this woman, assuming she was who she claimed to be. Against her will, Washu's voice and the color of her hair were bringing forth some of her earliest memories. They were not really detailed, but she could see the back of a pink haired woman's head and hear a voice that sounded just like Washu.

As if sensing what her daughter was thinking, Washu then said, "Is something about me beginning to trouble you? Are you remembering, even if just a little?"

Instead of answering, Ryoko spouted tersely, "I'm going home. Come if you wish." To Tenchi she said, "I would appreciate it if you came, whether or not this lady does." Sensing some of Tenchi's trepidation she added, "I promise to be good. It's just that, I kind of like you or whatever. I want to get to know you."

At this, Tenchi nodded—indicating his decision was in the affirmative. Then all of them left out the school's front door into what was quickly becoming night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Space Again**

The attack came suddenly, just as Ayeka and Sasami had entered the orbital area of Earth. A large red ship with the Galaxy Police insignia had appeared out of nowhere and ordered the princesses to pull over. Their names were apparently Detectives Mihoshi and Kiyone and they clearly meant business. When the princesses failed to comply they opened fire. Ayeka and Sasami found themselves on the floor of the bridge wondering what happened.

On their ship—the Yagami—Kiyone and Mihoshi felt that they had the upper hand. They had aimed for the obvious engines on Ryu-Oh and seemingly incapacitated the ship. Kiyone was especially pleased because Mihoshi, known for being rather silly and foolish although a good detective, was all business. They had just received the order from their superiors regarding the necessary capture of Princesses Ayeka and Sasami who have defected from the Juraian Empire. Sure, it was sudden, but they both felt that obeying orders was most important—even when you are unsure why things are suddenly thrust on you. They slowly pulled closer towards Ryu-Oh expecting a fairly easy capture.

Inside Ryu-Oh Ayeka had regained her wits just as she heard the sound of that other ship docking with them. Obviously, they were expecting to capture Ayeka and her younger sister. _I__simply__cannot__let__this__happen,_Ayeka thought,_I__am__a__royal__princess__of__Jurai__and__I__will__not__have__these__sort__of__complications!_

Sasami was as scared as she had been back on Jurai. She wondered why her and her sister could not go in peace. They had already seen enough carnage, why was trouble following them? She jumped as she heard a slight chiming type noise as a beam of blueish-red light suddenly appeared on the bridge with her and her sister.

Kiyone had decided to go it alone, just in case there was trouble. She felt Mihoshi was at least reliable enough to call for help if they needed it. Kiyone also felt that they wouldn't likely need it and shimmered onto Ryu-Oh's bridge brimming with confidence. How wrong she was.

Ayeka quickly told Sasami to back away from Kiyone with a slight tilting of her head. Sasami obeyed readily and watched the seen with her big pink eyes. As Kiyone grabbed her gun in her holster Ayeka shouted, "Azaka! Kamidake! Defend your princesses! Ryu-Oh, auxiliary engines online and change course back towards the fourth planet!" The ship responded immediately as two large—logs by the look of them—beings appeared next to either princess. Azaka was posted near Ayeka while Kamidake appeared next to Sasami.

Kiyone barely had time to register a look of surprise as all this happened and immediately lost her balance as Ryu-Oh peeled off pulling Yagami with it. She did not fall, but she had lost her advantage as she noticed that the two logs, Azaka and Kamidake, had opened up revealing several blasters.

Over on Yagami, Mihoshi fell flat on her face as the ship suddenly turned getting pulled along. She heard some cracking and realized that the docking grid was wearing thin. It wasn't designed to withstand such an onslaught. Suddenly she heard an even louder crack as the grid fell completely apart, stranding her partner on Ryu-Oh. The further away that ship got, Mihoshi knew the likelihood of getting Kiyone back was minimal. Unfortunately, the transporters worked best at close range. If they needed to beam to a planet, they would have to get well into the atmosphere. So, the more space between Kiyone and Yagami made it possible that her molecules would never be recovered from an emergency transport.

Kiyone had her hands up in surrender, her holster and gun strewn on the floor as she looked back and forth between the princesses who wore very different expressions. Sasami looked scared, like a girl her age should be, while her sister had the fierce look of a survivor who would be willing to do anything to ensure their safety. _This__is__not__going__as__planned,_ Kiyone thought, _it's__actually__a__downright__disaster._ She was worried because she had also heard the docking grid break away. Ryu-Oh was carrying her quite quickly from safety.

To Kiyone's surprise and fear, Ayeka suddenly ordered Ryu-Oh to turn around and intercept Yagami me. This caused Kiyone to cry out, "What are you doing? We are just trying to do our jobs! We haven't tried to kill you."

To this thought Ayeka cast a haughty and pained laugh as she said, "You think that I will hesitate to kill both of you if it means the safety of Sasami and I? You attacked us, and you turning us over will only end in our death. I doubt you're very aware of that, as foolish as your organization is. You have no idea what you are doing, and I feel it more necessary to nip this in the bud."

"Ryu-Oh, fire up weapons!"

"NO!" screamed both Kiyone and—to both her and Ayeka's surprise—Sasami. "Ayeka, what is the matter with you?" she added.

This almost stopped Ayeka from doing what she knew she needed to do, but she felt there was no way to avoid. Of course Sasami wouldn't understand, she had never seen her sister behave in this manner and did not understand what survival meant for them as things were. "Ryu-Oh, fire!" Ayeka raged.

Mihoshi was clumsy and a bit inept at times, but that was more to ditzy moments. The fact is, she was just as able to handle herself in a ship under-fire as Kiyone was. She noticed that Ryu-Oh was heading towards her and firing up weapons. She turned Yagami around with a command and then told the ship to engage in evasive maneuvers.

Ryu-Oh fired, but missed Yagami as the ship suddenly righted it self and moved out of range. Yagami was turning around and preparing to return fire. Suddenly space was filled with laser fire as Ayeka and Mihoshi faced off. Both ships were rocked by direct hits and the determined combatants refused to let up.

However, as things went on, Ryu-Oh's power began to overwhelm Yagami. Mihoshi was concerned and decided on a desperate plan that would hopefully save their lives. She remembered some of the vulnerable spots on a Juraian ship and chose to direct Yagami to ram into Ryu-Oh.

Ayeka and everyone on the bridge had little time to react as Yagami changed direction and suddenly ran into the back of the ship. Everyone on both ships were rocked to the ground getting bruised and battered. The moment of both ships began to carry them back toward Earth, soon getting them pulled in by the planets massive gravity. The ships began to plummet towards Earth, heading straight towards Tokyo.

Mihoshi's plan was slowly falling apart and the damage to Ryu-Oh may have been irreparable. They continued to plummet though both ships functioned well enough to apply the emergency break. They were slowing down, but things weren't looking good. If something wasn't done soon, they would all die in the wreckage of their vessels.

Mihoshi opened up a a channel of communication and said, "Okay, everyone! We have one chance to survive this. Yagami has transporters and at this distance I can lock on everyone on your vessel. I can transport us to the planet's surface!" _Hopefully,__on__land_she added in her head.

Incensed Ayeka shouted, "Just what do you take me for a fool? How can we trust you when you attacked—" Before she could finish Sasami screamed out, "Ayeka, we have no choice! Do it detective!" Mihoshi's fingers worked quickly across the keyboard. Ayeka just barely had time to send a scornful look at her little sister before they all shimmered out of existence.

Apparently Mihoshi's calculations were a little off and they all reassembled just near the shore, though definitely in the water. They splashed down and surfaced just in time to see their ships hitting the the water around the Tokyo Bridge, sending steam and water flying everywhere. The fews cars out at that hour swerved and honked their horns, trying to recover. It was amazing that no one crashed. The princesses and Galaxy Police officers were starting to swim towards the shore huffing and puffing with their adrenaline keeping them afloat.

They pulled themselves up on the retaining wall and collapsed in a heap. Still breathing heavily, with their arms outstretched. They were stranded, all of them knew that now. Ayeka and Sasami were mildly okay because they had at least gotten to Japan. Part of their journey was over.

On Kiyone and Mihoshi's part, they had no way of contacting their superiors though they were sure that their disappearance would be looked into eventually. However, with the bureaucracy at Galaxy Police HQ, they were not sure when it would become priority. Essentially, they were stuck with the only "friends" they had on this planet. "Friends" that they viewed as criminals because of their assignment. Though Kiyone was having serious doubts about the danger regarding Sasami. She seemed to be a sweet girl, not very criminal-like at all. Her sister, on the other hand, came across as more hardened, though still in a confusing manner. She was a princess, after all, how criminal could she be? There simply wasn't enough information.

The frenemies all looked at each other. They all had come to the same conclusions Kiyone had in regards to whom they had to trust, and neither was happy. Only Sasami really had any hope for the situation. She felt that, if they got to know each other, the detectives wouldn't think them criminals anymore. Sasami always had hope, no matter how sad things got.

"Are you alright?" said a male voice behind them. Startled they all turned their heads around quickly and took in a young man with dark hair and eyes that Ayeka somehow felt were familiar. She wondered why they had that feeling, perhaps it was the color. It looked like the Royal Teardrop, such a sad flower Yosho had told her. She still felt they were quite beautiful.

With the boy were to strange women, one with green hair, and one with pink hair and about a head shorter than the green haired woman. Somehow the green haired woman's eyes had a familiar look about them, they were hard and yellow. Ayeka felt very strange about all this, but didn't let on that to these strangers.

It was Kiyone who answered, "Yes, we are fine—thank goodness. We have been having er..." _What__sort__of__transport__do__they__have__here,_she thought, _what__was__in__the__file__about__this__planet!_

Mihoshi finished Kiyone's thought, "Car trouble?"

"Yes! That's it," said Kiyone sheepishly knowing full well that they were all still soaked. She wondered if the story would hold up. With raised eyebrows the young man said, "You drove your car into the waterfront?" He seemed to be checking them out, trying to figure out what sort of people they were. He continued, "Do you guys need help getting anywhere?"

The crash victims all looked at each other, and then nodded towards the young man. "Well, my name is Tenchi, and these are Ryoko and Washu." the intriguing young man said.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Strangest Days Begin**

Never before had Tokyo seen such a motley crew stalking their streets, and that is saying something. Several women, with oddly colored hair and eyes, tagging along with a handsome boy, who seemed quite exasperated by the whole thing. A passerby could guess why; after all, these women looked rather crazy. Also, half of them were dripping water, a fact confusing to most anyone. In any case, no one would have thought the girls to be aliens, though they were.

Tenchi, for his part, was mulling over all the recent events in his mind. Things had been imperceptibly changing since the night he set Ryoko free, but now he was sure that things would begin to unfold at a far more rapid pace. It made him nervous, if he was honest with himself. All he really wanted to do was be a normal high school student and blend into the wall. Destiny, it seems, had other-far stranger-plans for him, however.

As Tenchi carried on his internal dialogue, the girls were each having their own in turn. Kiyone was again lamenting her fall from grace with the Galaxy Police and the ineptitude of her partner Mihoshi landing them in this part of the galaxy, in the first place. Kiyone also felt a bit of shame at the last thought because she knew they would have died had it not been for Mihoshi's uncharacteristically quick thinking. Hell, Mihoshi had even remembered aspects of the planet file that Kiyone herself forgot.

Kiyone then took a deep breath and made a silent promise to think of Mihoshi better. She was a ditz, but she was also a loyal partner and friend. Kiyone really should be more thankful, and she knew it. No matter what bungles Mihoshi caused, or got them into, she was always there to back Kiyone up, and wasn't that the sort of thing they were taught at the academy?

Either way, she knew she would not get anywhere blaming Mihoshi at the moment. Perhaps, when they got back to headquarters she could do so. _What am I even thinking, _Kiyone thought quietly.

Mihoshi knew much of what was on Kiyone's mind, though Kiyone would not have given her the credit of acknowledging that. Mihoshi was not dumb, just a bit silly. She knew she irked Kiyone and knew that she had been part of the reason that Kiyone has not already been promoted to the highest levels of the Galaxy Police. It was never on purpose, accidents just tended to find Mihoshi. Plus, it really is not far for Kiyone to blame her completely anyway. Kiyone has had her own hand in the bungles, just the far less visible one.

Also, who does Kiyone think she is anyway? Had not Mihoshi shown her the sort of loyalty and friendship that should satisfy her? Everyone makes mistakes and Mihoshi had saved Kiyone from her share of the mistakes. Did she even appreciate what Mihoshi did for her? Mihoshi continued to brood over these thoughts as an invisible wedge, that had been slowly growing throughout the years, gained more form and body.

The Juraian princesses faired no better, but Ayeka was in far worse a state of mind. She had seemed off kilter the entire escape from Jurai. Sasami was continually worried for her elder sister's internal state. If she was as off balanced as Sasami thought she was, who knows where that might land them. Honestly, Sasami resented it a bit. She has always had to be more adult than Ayeka and she was getting tired of it. How could she be so fragile?

Immediately after thinking that, Sasami cast that thought aside, believing it to be rather unfair. She was not next in line for the crown after all, and their father did not act as a royal taskmaster over her. Ayeka received the brunt of such abuses. Being royalty is not all it was cracked up to be and now, even that, has become unstable ground for her sister. Sasami could only pray to the gods of Jurai and hope for the best.

Ayeka's mind was a firestorm, a whirling maelstrom of doubt and self-consciousness. How could things change so quickly? So many people: dead. So much time, it seems, wasted in learning to behave as royalty, when the throne could be taken so easily. Nothing was permanent, nothing stable. People's lives are easily taken, loved ones losing their spirit at the whim of another. What sort of universe do we live in, she wondered.

Ryoko was casting furtive glances both at the new arrivals and her "mother," Washu. How could that woman be her mother? She looks all of 12 years old. Even if the claim were true, which continued to be doubtful to Ryoko's mind, who did Washu think she was? What sort of loving parent allows for the capture and subjugation of their child and then magically reappears hoping that everything would be just dandy. Ryoko let a low growl from her throat, sincerely desiring to punch a hole in the shop they were passing.

Once that fleeting moment passed, the barrage of thoughts that Ryoko was subject to began their steady flow. One single question kept cropping up in her mind: If this is my mother, where was she for the past millenia? Sighing inwardly, Ryoko then cast a glance in Tenchi's direction. She wondered just what was on his mind. He had to be reeling from all of this disruption, yet he seemed to be taking everything in stride. She had to admire his restraint and strength. It drew her even closer to Tenchi than she was already. The boy really had turned her entire universe on its head.

Unbeknownst to Ryoko, Washu could hear every thought passing through her daughter's head. They had a mental link that was established long ago at Ryoko's conception; well, her...creation really. Ryoko was both the product of science and Washu's own ovum. Washu was, after all, the greatest scientific genius in the universe. Science was her thing. Still, Ryoko always felt like more than a creation to Washu. She really had bonded with the child while she carried her in her womb, an experience she had only had once before. Her pregnancy with Ryoko was fraught with drama, as she had to revert to her adult body to properly bring Ryoko to term. Her feelings on being an adult were complicated at best. Still, she beamed with pride and felt an intense longing to be with Ryoko as a mother is with her child, even if she was now grown. So much had gone wrong, so much needed to be atoned for. She just wanted that chance. In time, she hoped Ryoko would realize the link in their minds and see the truth of what she was saying. Until such a time, Washu was going to stick around. It was going to be worth it, she was sure of it.

As the motley band neared Tenchi's Tokyo home, the sun was beginning to set, casting its light in bands around Tenchi and the girls. For just a second, each of them felt a sense of foreboding, a sense that things were about to get much, much stranger.

In their own way, they shrugged off the feeling and entered the house. There was much to discuss.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Speed of Light**

Upon entering the house, Tenchi shouted out "Tadaima," to notify his father of his presence-assuming he was at home anyway. Since there was no response, he surmised that his father was, in fact, out. Tenchi then told the girls to make themselves comfortable in his living room while he made tea.

Tenchi had been mulling things over and decided that the women that he just found were not who they said they were. He did not know where they came from, but their odd colored hair seemed quite natural, instead of being colored. As far as he knew, Washu was human, but she had planted a seed of doubt when she divulged the idea that she was Ryoko's birth mother. Considering how old Ryoko was, it was next to impossible that Washu was human, if she was who she claimed to be.

The other girls were obviously from another world, which both excited and frightened Tenchi. He had understood that they were not simply having car trouble by their dress, and by noticing that the railing used as the boundary of the road had not been broken. Tenchi was slow at times, but he certainly was not dumb. He knew something was up, but just was not sure what that "something" was.

That, ultimately, is why he brought the girls over. He wanted to know the truth and knew that the people of Tokyo would not react well when faced with the problem of extraterrestrials. Had his own life not already become so odd, he likely would have felt the same. Either way, the authorities were not who needed to be notified about these beautiful, yet strange women. Tenchi felt that, somehow, this was all connected to Ryoko's legend and his family. Why he should feel that way, he was not sure, but there had been far too many coincidences in the past few days.

First, Ryoko becomes a student at his school. Then her mother is apparently a new teacher at said school. All of that immediately followed by a strange group of girls swimming in the waterfront. He had also overheard some people talking about strange lights heading towards that very area. No, these women were not your run in the mill Japanese women.

Tenchi brought out the tea to one of the quietest rooms he had ever entered, and Tenchi was a quiet guy himself. The women all murmured thanks and, for a while, everyone sipped their tea in relative silence.

After a while, Tenchi said, "So, car trouble?" The four newcomers nodded, silently. Tenchi continued, saying, "I don't buy it. I heard tales of strange lights in the evening sky near the waterfront. You were swimming in the water front. Oh, and the railing was all in tact. So, tell me, where are you really from and why are you here? Please."

There was more silence for a second or two and then, "I am Ayeka and this is my sister Sasami. We are members of the Jurai royal family, who were headed to this planet for...business, before these two viciously attacked us without warning." She said all this very quickly and agitated gestured in Mihoshi and Kiyone's direction.

Mihoshi still looked a little bit shellshocked, so Kiyone defended their actions first, saying, "That's only part of the story, and we hardly attacked without warning. Well, technically. You simply did not answer our communiques!" She was trembling with suppressed rage. The gall of these two fugitives!

"We were simply doing our jobs as Galaxy Police officers, considering you two are both fugitives from your home planet. You're enemies of the emperor!"

Ayeka looked like she had been slapped in the face, and several wooden blocks appeared around here while electricity crackled. This caused everyone, including her sister, to back up.

Regaining her self-control, Ayeka somehow made those blocks and the electricity disappear. Well, that's how it appeared to everyone but Sasami and Washu, who was secretly familiar with the power of the Jurai royal family.

Taking a deep breath, and trembling in a rage of her own, Ayeka said, "THAT IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE! We have always been loyal to our family-to our father!" She stamped her foot for emphasis, "You Galaxy Police officers have been given false information! We are REFUGEES!" The word seemed torn from her against her will. She even seemed to wilt a bit afterward.

The rage passed, being replaced by a strong sense of melancholy. It actually seemed to descend upon the room, chilling everyone to the bone. Her reaction and statement were so powerful, that Kiyone was suddenly questioning the information she had been given. Mihoshi and her had been told that Ayeka and Sasami had made an attempt on the knew emperor's life. The new emperor, Kagato, had come to the throne after a strange illness killed most of the Jurai royal family, a family known for their longevity. According to the higher ups, Kagato had every right to the throne. Why then, would Ayeka claim that they were refugees. What are they running from, if not the law?

Mihoshi was thinking along similar lines, though she was noticing that she was getting hungry just a bit more. She sighed inwardly, maybe thoughts like that are why Kiyone is always mad at me. She quickly chose to regain her focus. Was their information faulty? Why would they be given false information? Why the order to shoot their ship, if they don't respond to hails? It was all very curious.

Sasami ran and threw her arms around her sister, in an attempt to console her. She felt it was helping, but only just so much. Where was the sister she had known for so many years? Could people change that quickly? Was anything sure in this universe?

Tenchi held up his hands in a calming fashion and said quietly, "I feel as though you both are saying something true, but there are parts missing. I doubt that it's your fault, and I want you to know that I will help you-ALL of you-any way that I can."

"Now, since we know who you guys are, I'll make a couple introductions" he paused, how do you introduced the "demon" your family once imprisoned for sport?

Ryoko decided to just get it over with, but keep it as simple as possible. "I'm Ryoko, and that's really all you need to know." The others nodded and then waited for the rest to speak up. However, Ayeka and Kiyone eyed Ryoko in a manner that indicated they were trying to place exactly where they might know her from. Tenchi wondered if they were somehow familiar with one another.

Washu took this moment to display her unique charm, or what she believed to be her charm. After all, she was nearly an infinite being, as long as she has lived. She surely was more important in deciding such matters. These people were clearly children, when it comes to her.

"I'm Washu Hakubi. Nice to meet you. I only have one itsy, bitsy request," Washu said, "Please, called me 'LITTLE WASHU,' I won't answer you otherwise!"

Again, there was silence, but of a different sort. Everyone, except for Ryoko and Tenchi, who had already been told this, had a look on their face that indicated sheer disbelief. Who does that?

Tenchi sighed inwardly, and felt incredibly thankful that the atmosphere was becoming a little more comfortable. He took a moment before saying, "My name is Tenchi, and I want to help you all, as best as I can." Hesitating, Tenchi wondered silently about the prudence of even getting involved. However, Tenchi has always been of a tender-heart, and could never leave people who are so obviously out of their depth alone. Plus, he _owed _ Ryoko. Washu was more of a mystery, but she too was of alien origin. She had to be, if she was Ryoko's mother, as she had said.

"I do not think that any of this was by chance. I feel like this is all, somehow, connected to a choice I made last summer. To make a long story short, Ryoko was once imprisoned by my family for many years. I...Well, I let her go. This was only a few months ago, and my entire life has changed very quickly since then."

"Something, is up and I do not have any clue, as to what that is. I've no idea." He stopped there and then said, "Please, stay with me as long as you need, while we figure all of this out. Ryoko, where are you living, now?"

Ryoko's eyes widened and her heart fluttered. She still could not figure out why that was nearly her stock reaction to this young boy. She betrayed none of this on her face, though Washu heard her thoughts loud and clear. "I was adopted, actually. The family has been really wonderful. I should...I should go back and let them know I am alright." She stood up to leave, and there came a knock at the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Coincidence/Fate**

The room was so silent that one could hear a pin drop just inches from the ground. The energy within the room changed subtly, as all the ladies and Tenchi found themselves wondering just who was knocking on the door. Did this person know they were in there? Were they being watched? No one was quite sure, so quiet was how they remained.

The silence stretched for what seemed like hours when the creak of the sliding front door invaded their ears. Ayeka, Ryoko, and Kiyone all jumped to different areas of the room assuming defensive postures, Kiyone with her gun trained, Ayeka with her force field (which also engulfed Sasami), and Ryoko with an energy blade. They all listened as the steps of the intruder neared the living room.

"Grandfather?" Tenchi said softly, prompting all the women to relax ever so slightly. Clearly, Tenchi knew this man and-as he came further into the room and became engulfed in the sunlight they all were bathed in-the women confirmed that it was an older gentleman who was approaching them. He moved quietly and calmly, with no hint of malice about him.

Washu raised her eyebrows slightly, thinking to herself, 'this is a man of great power.'

Katsuhito Masaki stopped and quietly surveyed the room. Slowly, his eye roved and lingered upon each face in the room while the silence stretched on like an endless shadow.

After what seemed like an eternity, Katsuhito spoke, saying, "I see that my senses have not failed me in my old age. Indeed, we have been visited by outsiders, and not just any outsiders. Two Juraians, two Galaxy Police officers, one demon, and one famous mad scientist."

Everyone in the room stayed silent in their shocked and waited for Katsuhito to continue. Katsuhito, for his part, took his dear sweet time addressing the room. After all, when one was as old as he, time could seem to move far too quickly. It was always a good thing to let things settle and move at a more leisurely pace, occasionally.

"As evidence by your silence, I am sure you are shocked by my knowledge of your identity," Katsuhito said in a quiet voice, "but, please be sure that I come to bring no harm to any of you."

"Tenchi," said the elder Masaki, "There is...much to explain to you. There is much more to the old Masaki Shrine legends than even Ryoko here. I only wish I had been able to tell you before we were visited by our...relatives." Here he nodded deferentially to Ayeka and Sasami, whose eyes widened in wonder. Was this man a Juraian? That made no sense, he looked so old and Juraians never looked that old. What had happened to him that made him lose his useful appearance?

Katsuhito continued, "I am going to ask what you are all doing here soon, but I want to clear up some things first. The Masaki family has a second surname, one that we shed long ago in an effort to blend into our earthly surroundings. That name is: Jurai. The surname given to all members of the Jurai royal family."

"Tenchi, we are descended from royalty, and these two girls are our distant cousins. All the families have two names, this was done to help the line of succession stay clear. Certain branch families, like the Masai or Katar, were not permitted to be rulers of the empire. Knowledge of that surname prevented usurpers from taking the thrown easily. If an emperor or empress seemed suspect, a simple search in the family tree would clear up any questions in that regard."

"We Masaki are one of the families that were in the line of succession and that is why-" Katsuhito stopped speaking as Tenchi made an inarticulate noise of rage and confusion.

"Grandpa! When were planning on telling me all of this?! Royalty!? Space empires!? I'm just a regular earthling, what has any of this to do with me," Tenchi practically shouted. "When was it on your daily agenda to inform me of our blood heritage? I'm not even human!"

"Tench! Sit down and shut up," Katsuhito yelled over his grandson. "That will all be explained in time. What I need right now is for you to listen."

Tenchi reluctantly obeyed, sitting right on the spot in the living room fuming. In truth, he was not angry at the revelation, he had long ago realized that perhaps there was more to him than even his own eye appraised. He was, after all, the Masaki who broke the chain of senseless violence on Ryoko. He was made of stuff that had not been heard of in his family.

However, this did not excuse his grandfather, because this was the second instance of his springing a surprise about their family heritage to him, and he had a suspicion that this particular bit of information was not likely to have been told were it not for these strange (now alien) women appearing on Earth. Tenchi could not say why he had that feeling, but he had always trusted his intuition. This was not over and he would pry the truth out of his grandfather, if he had to.

Taking a deep breath, Katsuhito continued his explanation, "It's true that the Masaki Jurai were in one of the two families allowed to take the throne (a thing determined by who had the eldest son at the time), but that did not last very long."

"The status quo changed when the Masaki were, in our opinion, cheated out of the throne several times, prompting a coup by our ancestors," Tenchi's grandfather continued, "Well, an attempted coup. They were not successful and driven from the planet. They wanted space through a few generations before stumbling upon Earth. You see, the original Juraian ships, while powerful in their offensive capabilities, were not yet equipped with faster than light technology. The trek had to take generations."

He went on, "In any case, we decided to stay on Earth, occasionally taking human wives and keeping the traditions of Jurai, in a modified way. Ryoko only came into the picture after the Masaki Jurai, now just the Masaki, came to Earth."

"She appeared suddenly, with glowing eyes and unparalleled power. Only Juraians would have been able to stop her conquering this world, which they did. How our...disgusting...practice of using Ryoko for sport and tests of manhood came about, I don't know. That gives me no excuse for continuing it, but I am thankful that someone in our lineage did have the courage to end it. Ryoko, I hope that you can forgive me and forgive our family for what we have done to you."

Ryoko's eye glistened slightly as she turned to look at Tenchi. She was still so very grateful for what he had done. Internally, she felt the pang of anger and despair that she had carried for so many years in that cave. She had been able to push the memories from her mind in her waking hours, though they often came unbidden in her sleep. Now, however, the memories of her countless defeats flooded her mind's eye. She closed her eyes in pain and let the old man continue his story.

"So, we are both relatives and refugees to you two nobles of Jurai. We are of Royal blood. I can only tell who you are by the energy you give off. When Masaki's come of age, they are usually taught to sense energy, an ability they could already do subconsciously. In fact, it usually remains subconscious, even after training, because the Jurai almost never come to our world."

"Tenchi, you are human, but only in part. The rest of you is Juraian," Katsuhito further explained, "As Masaki grow older, increasingly of the world we once belonged to is revealed, thus I know of the Galaxy Police and Miss Washu here. Though, I thought that you had been imprisoned for creating weapons of mass destruction."

The question hung in the air as Washu responded cheerily, "Why, yes! That is the case, but I escaped after 20 year and have been on the run ever since. I had a mission, you see."

There seemed to be some sort of hidden implication in her response, but Katsuhito chose not to pursue it, at the moment.

"Now, Tenchi, to answer your other concerns: I have struggled for a while on whether or not to continue the passing down of the Juraian traditions through you. I had enough trouble just dealing with the darker aspects of our Masaki lineage. That we were royalty seemed of little consequence. I'm not sure if I ever would have brought it up. Now, I regret that I did not bring it up sooner. I'm sure it is a lot to take."

Tenchi said nothing, but his anger was abated somewhat. He was a naturally empathetic person and saw that he would not know what to do as the head of the family either. There seemed to be so much to it. His heated demeanor changed to reflect his new perspective.

There was another long pause that was then broken by Katsuhito clapping his hands together once and saying, "Now, ladies, I have to know why you are here. Something must be up. I want to help any way that I can."

After another pause, Kiyone spoke for the first time, "Well, that was quite informative. GP had no idea that there were any Juraians in this sector of space. This makes matters of jurisdiction a bit more difficult, but you must be told the truth."

"These two," Kiyone continued while point directly at Ayeka and Sasami, "These two women are wanted for aiding in the slaughter of the nearly the entire Jurai royal family. The GP is working with the new emperor to subdue them and their accomplices."

Ayeka, bristling with indignation, shouted "we did no such thing. WE are the victims here. You would know that if you knew anything about your job. We just lost our entire family and your accusations are baseless. Have you no brains nor compassion?!"

Sasami grabbed her elder sister's arm quietly and Ayeka, surprised, reigned her anger in. In a soft voice Sasami said, "Officer, I ask that you please, at least, reserve judgement on us until you have all of the facts. This is hard enough without being accused of a bloody coup we had no part in."

The sincerity of Sasami's request stopped Kiyone cold. It was so plaintive, so pure. Kiyone had trouble holding on to her suspicions. After all, why had these two "cold blooded killers" murdered these two officers. They have a great opportunity to do so many times since the crash."

That, thought Kiyone, is not the behavior of most criminals. At the very least, she mused, they would have made a break for it by now. They seem to be worn down and beaten. Could the younger princess be telling the truth?

Normally quite stubborn, once fixated on a case, Kiyone actually decided to back down for once. "You know what, princess? I think I will do just that. There have been issues within the Galaxy Police, and I do not wish to commit an injustice towards possible innocents. You are innocent until proven guilty."

Mihoshi watched the entire exchange silently, and she now smiled inwardly. For a while now, actually since they got the case, she was suspicious of the order to hunt down these beautiful princesses. Everything she had heard about the pair previously, being a Kurimitsu and privy to such information, did not jibe well with the image she was presented with by her superiors unless the girls had went insane, and that seemed doubtful by her current observations. Mihoshi made a mental note to let Kiyone now how she had been feeling and her agreement with the choice that Kiyone had just made.

Shortly thereafter, every eye in the place turned toward Washu and Ryoko. The latter squirmed slightly under the sudden scrutiny while Washu seemed to revel in it. With a cocky glint in her eye Washu said, "I've already revealed that I'm an escaped prisoner, and I would advise my two officers of the law here that trying to take me back into custody would be foolish. Furthermore, the statute of limitations should be kicking in shortly, that makes me a free woman essentially."

Having diverted all attention to herself she continued saying, "I was wrongfully accused anyhow, by whom I am still trying to find out. Either way, I'm only here because my search for (she nods toward Ryoko) lead me here. I am starting to think that this was more than a chance occurrence. I'm looking forward to seeing things unfold."

Katsuhito took all of this in and nodded to himself. "There seems to be only one expedient, we need to get to Jurai and quickly."

**The Best Laid Plans**

Back on Jurai, Kagato paced in the royal study. Back and forth he went, contemplating what he had just been sent by the Galaxy Police. His long white hair flowed behind him, whipping to and fro.

His agitation was clear to his second in command, Yugi, a short blonde Juraian with an air of superiority that was easily backed up by her incredible power. She could conjure creatures of all shapes and sizes that were subject to her every whim. She was not terribly old, by Juraian standards, and enjoyed thinking of her creatures as her play things. Indeed, Yugi had remained a kid of sorts by will, purposely slowing the maturing of her body. What else she was capable of was unclear, but just those abilities alone made Kagato consider her invaluable.

"Kagato, stopped your pacing. The coup went exactly as planned and our mole in the Galaxy Police planted the proper trail. They also intercepted the video that was taken of officers Mihoshi and Kiyone's crash landing on Earth. They haven't sent any probes yet, but it isn't likely they survived. Why are you so worried?" Yugi said in her silky voice.

Kagato stopped pacing long enough to give Yugi a meaningful glare as he said, "I am not worried, but I am concerned. We do not know for sure if the princesses perished, nor the state of those two officers. Who knows what could happen if they do survive. A coup is _not _successful until the ruler has been on longer than a few months. All possible threats must be squashed. Then, and only then, can I be content not to worry."

Yugi smiled one of her coy smiles and said in a pacifying voice, "Alright, alright. Shall I take a ship and small crew out to check for you?" Her eyes glistened with the question and she bit her lip slightly in anticipation of a possible fight. How she loved to fight, especially her fellow Juraians, who perceived her as a freak of nature.

Yugi never knew her parents, she did not even know if she had parents per se. She just knew her powers were unusual for a Juraian and had gotten her banished. Yugi spent many years imprisoned in a stasis chamber that the Jurai royal family shot off into space. How she hated that place, how she hated the dark. It was so dark and cold.

Kagato regarded her for a moment, and she unconsciously sucked in her breath. Kagato approached her and rested one hand on her shoulder. "No, Yugi. I do not want that just yet. However, you should contact the bounty hunter Nagi; I have a hunch that she will greatly enjoy the chase, if my hunch is correct."


	7. Chapter 7

**Preparations and Flight**

"We need to get to Jurai, and quickly." The suggestion's impact varied from person to person, but the most visibly shaken were the princesses of Jurai. That only made sense, they had just fled from the planet with their lives barely intact.

Ayeka was brooding darkly at the notion, what would a return to Jurai entail-more bloodshed? Ayeka envisioned the beautiful royal trees covered in blood, possibly hers or Sasami's. She could see no other alternative to such a turn of events. Who would protect them? Ayeka had no idea how her power compared to Kagato's, she only knew that he terrified her and here was a lost Juraian prince was suggesting that she bring herself and her sister back to that deathtrap. He had no idea, this man had no idea, and Ayeka must let him know.

As if reading her mind, Katsuhito said, "Princess Ayeka, please tell me more about the situation back on Jurai. I do not know everything and we cannot go into this blinded." Ayeka's eyes glistened with her roiling emotions and she turned away.

With her back still turned, Ayeka said, "There had been reports of another lost Juraian prince who was supposed to be the next in line for the Juraian throne. As you know, we Juraians are long-lived but we are not eternal. Our father had gotten ill recently, and there was much speculation on whom he would name as his successor."

"Father had to choose someone, because there was no clear successor. He needed to make the judgement that would be best for Jurai. He was in the process of rendering his decision, I believe he had chosen a member of the Amaki clan, but we cannot really know for sure, as he is now dead." Here is became choked up, she coughed to clear her throat and cleared her mind of her many fond memories with her father. She thought, _We've lost so much, but they lost their lives. How wretched a universe is this._

Once shaking off her pain, Ayeka continued saying, "Anyway, father was nearing a decision between the eldest sons of the three clans when a man named Kagato showed up at the proceedings. He claimed to be of the House of Tatsuki and that he had been unfairly exiled because of his power and the fact that he was to be next in line for the throne. He said that we feared him and, if we did not, we should."

"Without any further warning he laid waste to the Juraian assembly, killing father, mother, and the remnants of the Masaki clan. He also killed nearly all of the Amaki and his own supposed clan."

Here she paused and gathered herself once more as she had to conclude her story, "Sasami and I were on vacation at the time and were arriving on Jurai at the time of the massacre. We went to see what was going on in the assembly and were greeted by what was left of the Amaki and Tatsuki. I am pretty sure that only three people survived in the Amaki clan and 4 survived in the Tatsuki clan."

"They warned us what was coming and we all escaped to our ships as fast as we could. Sometime during the exodus, Kabuto found a way to get the Galaxy Police into his pocket and make myself, Sasami, and the other survivors complicit in the murders of our family members," here her hackles began to rise and she continued, "Now, we are wanted by the Galaxy Police for murders we could not have possibly committed and the remains of our family are all over the universe now. We are not even sure where our grandmother, Lady Seto, is and have no idea as to her state of being."

Ayeka finished this speech in a low, angry voice as Katsuhito took all of this in. It pained him to hear about all they had went through and he silently wondered if this was all his fault. If this _Kabuto_ was _his _Kabuto then this might very well be his fault. Katsuhito looked back on those days and remembered what it was like being known by his birth name, Yosho. The guilt of the past and the state of the elder princess lead him to keep that fact about himself secret as well.

As it was, Katsuhito was one of the few Masaki to ever return to Jurai. In fact, he had quarreled with his own father about it. Katsuhito's father was the epitome of how far the Masaki clan had fallen. He loved their degenerative habits and hated Jurai. He was completely against any attempts at reconciliation and hated Katsuhito for contact Lady Seto. Katsuhito was not strong enough to completely end Ryoko's imprisonment, but he did have strength enough to reach out. Perhaps, that is why Tenchi had become so strong. Perhaps, Katsuhito-Yosho-should not be so hard on himself.

While this monologue went on internally, Katsuhito said to Ayeka, "I see. That is indeed quite terrible. I am sorry that such a thing has happened, but we can set things right. Kabuto sounds formidable, but we can figure something out. Now, where is your ship?"

"...attached to a Galaxy Police ship underwater in the city." Ayeka said quietly. Upon hearing this, Katsuhito broke into a short laugh, despite the severity of the situation. "Well, I guess we better go get it. My own ship has long since become rooted on this planet. I have not been to Jurai since I got married," he said. Ayeka nodded silently in response.

Appearing seemingly out of no where, Washu exclaimed, "Oh, a Juraian ship!? A Galaxy Police ship? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"

"I can fix those ships in a jiffy! Though, I would caution against taking Ayeka's ship out to Jurai. They surely will be looking for it."

Everyone just stared at the miniature scientist. "What," she deadpanned, "never seen a scientist excited to play with technology before?" Tenchi started to say something in response, but felt like he had been struck dumb. He, and everyone else just shook their heads in response.

Capitalizing on her mute audience, Washu continued, "Look people, we clearly need to take Tenchi's grandfather...erm," she paused as she realized that she had no idea what Tenchi's grandfather's name was, he had no even introduced himself.

This prompted a chagrined laugh from the elder Juraian prince. "Oh, forgive me, everyone! I have forgotten myself!" He bowed deeply and said, "I am Katsuhito Masaki Jurai, the head of the Masaki line and apparently one of the last Masakis."

Clapping her hands together, Washu then stated, "Ah, now that we got that out of the way. Mr. Katsuhito's suggestion is a good one, particularly for the princesses. We would be wise to take it, and a Galaxy Police ship (if you do not mind, officers) would be the safest transport we have."

Sasami chose this moment to speak up, she asked quizzically, "the safest transport _we _have? What do you mean by we, Ms. Washu?"

Moving over to where Sasami sat, Washu said in a conspiratorial voice, "I'll tell you what I mean, but I have one itty-bitty request before I do so."

"Sure, what is it," said Sasami innocently. Washu struck a pose that had her pointing up at what would have been the sky if they were outside. As it was, her posture was not very impressive under the rooftop as she said, "Please, call me Little Washu!" Her eyes shone with tears of joy and mirth as two tiny, robotic versions of Washu popped up around her shoulders, singing her praises, "You're the greatest, Washu!" "What a genius you are!"

Everyone, except for Tenchi and Ryoko who had been privy to this behavior before, nearly fell over in shock. Was this woman, this girl serious? Little Washu? That's hardly the name for a scientific genius, especially a respected and feared one.

After the moment had settled, this prompted laughter from the entire group. It was still rather nervous, but it was laughter nonetheless.

"Okay, the robots are new," said Ryoko with a chuckle, rather thankful that the mood had lightened a bit. If that was Washu's goal, she certainly achieved it.

Having successfully bringing some levity into a grave situation, Washu then continued to Sasami, "Young princess, suffice it to say that I have my own stake in the matter and I simply could not pass up a chance to soup up a Galaxy Police vehicle. I mean, REALLY SOUP IT UP!" She laughed and snorted a bit as she did so, wiping a tear from her laughing eyes.

Internally, Washu knew she had other reasons for doing as she was, but the others need not know that just yet. She was also quietly grateful that Ryoko had not yet awakened to their telepathic link, her daughter might just have ruined the whole thing. There was something seriously wrong on Jurai, and it went much deeper than Kagato's coup. She was sure of that. Furthermore, Washu felt some sort of vague attachment to the place, like one would have for a sibling. She found that odd and immediately vowed to figure out why she felt that way, as soon as the feeling hit her.

Slowly, but surely, everyone began to look over at Tenchi, who had not left his seated position. He had closed his eyes, as if he were in a meditation trance. Tenchi had been taking most of the proceedings without comment, and he wondered just what he wanted to do. Like Washu, he had come to feel some sort of vague longing to see Jurai, though he had only just heard of the planet. Tenchi was struck by how normal all of this seemed when, not long ago, he would have balked at the notion of demons or aliens. How had his world changed so fast?

Sighing inwardly, Tenchi thought, _I guess it cannot be helped. These princesses are in trouble and grandfather has been keeping things from me. I need to help, and I need to get more information on just who I am. Clearly, I cannot think of myself as a mere Earthling anymore. _

While musing, he slowly became aware that he was in everyone's line of sight. He took the time to make eye contact with each person, settling on his grandfather with a fiery stare and said, "Washu and Grandpa are right. Something has got to be done, and there are many unanswered questions. I say we go."

With that, this band of strange humanoids left the house and began their preparations.


	8. Chapter 8

**No Need for Laboratories**

The inter-dimensional laboratory that Washu seemed to conjure out of thin air was alive with movement and not all of it was humanoid movement. Washu had an assortment of creatures in stock, some looked like they were created by someone while others looked more natural; though, even nature has its moments of Picasso-esque genius.

As for the motley, soon-to-be spacefaring crew, they set about doing various duties that were needed for their trip to Jurai. The princesses were storing food in the ingenius container that Washu also seemed to conjure, like a witch, from the air. They packed the Japanese meals and food supplies that Tenchi and his Grandfather procured from a nearby store. They also took Juraian foodstuffs from Ryo-Oh's stores using their teleporter. Sasami kept busy by labeling and organizing within the container while Ayeka grabbed the food that came.

The resident Galaxy Police officers were preparing the munitions that would surely come in handy as they made their treacherous trek. Various ray guns and other handheld weapons adorned the walls and shelves in Yagami's storage space.

Mihoshi felt that this might be overkill; after all, there were hundreds of weapons and only a handful of them. Even as she thought this, Mihoshi sighed inwardly and smiled slightly. Kiyone was certainly being Kiyone. She had always been overly cautious. That was as much of a hallmark of her personality as her career-mindedness. Mihoshi did not worry too much about such things and that was the source of a lot of the difficulties in their working relationship. Mihoshi was impulse and often did not think things through. This would sometimes result in obscene amounts of collateral damage and the GP would have no part of officers that caused so many problems.

While Mihoshi felt that their rules were arbitrary (no one had died, after all) she did feel a pang of guilt for slowing up Kiyone's progress. She truly cared for her friend and partner and wanted Kiyone to get just what she hopes for. Perhaps, Mihoshi thought to herself, perhaps, I should give being serious a try once this is all over.

Kiyone was finally starting to feel as though they were adequately prepared on the weapons front. She always felt that you had to anticipate everything while expecting nothing in particular. This mantra had guided her pretty well throughout her life, though she still got stuck with Mihoshi. At that passing thought, Kiyone blew air up and out of her lips, flipping her bangs slightly, her dark blue hair momentarily taking leave of her forehead.

Honestly, Kiyone thought, I need to stop blaming Mihoshi for everything. Perhaps some of my own actions have pushed Mihoshi to make certain choices. There were a few times on the job where Mihoshi's rashness and, somehow, ditzyness had saved their asses. Kiyone knew this, and she knew the GP were being unfair to her and Mihoshi because they happen to cause damage when working. Surely the GP realized that the class A criminals that they often sent the women after were dangerous and full of cunning. Sometimes damages cannot be avoided. Plus, they always managed to keep civilians quite safe. What exactly did the GP expect-perfection?

Struck by that thought, Kiyone sighed deeply and decided that all was ready, as far as weaponry goes. "Hey, Mihoshi-chan! I think we are good here. Let's find something else to do for this trip." Mihoshi nods and then follows Kiyone to the cockpit for flight checks. Yagami did not require two people to fly her, but having two heads came in handy from time to time. What's more, Yagami had a highly experimental device that allowed her to become two smaller ships with the same high powered weaponry as Yagami proper. They had no used the feature yet, but it made sense to always have two people in the cockpit, if possible. Time is always of the essence in space battles.

Washu was deep in Yagami's engine room recalibrating the engines for faster speeds, she had a feeling that speed might be a real asset later down the road they had chosen. While she quickly moved about tightening, loosening, moving, typing and whatever else was needed for her task, Washu was deep in thought. None of this was betrayed on her face, though one might be able to discern her intense thought patter through her sharp green eyes.

The great scientist had not been entirely forthcoming with the party. She was not sure if it was the right time to bring any of those issues up, particularly because she had only just been reunited with Ryoko, her "daughter." Bringing up the other aspects of Washu's self-issued mission would be problematic at best. How do you bring up your other missing daughter, particularly one as unusual as Ryo-Oki?

Still, Washu knew that Ryoko would likely start feeling the pangs designed to keep her an Ryo-Oki tethered together soon. Having been in stasis, as Washu had been informed of, Ryoko likely had not fully recovered all of her abilities. The creators of the shrine had apparently really figured out how to bring Ryoko down. This did put a certain damper on the whole conquering the demon tradition the Masaki's once had. Did they not know that she was no long at full power? How was that any sort of victory.

Unbeknownst to Washu, her hands had been twisting the screwdriver with increased vigor as these thoughts tumbled through her mind. In her apparent anger that had damaged the top of the screw, though it was thankfully in place as it should be. She would just have to engineer a way to recreate the slots for the screw driver later down the road.

Washu looked down at her girlish, grime covered hand. It was still shaking, she was still riled up. This was odd for Washu, as she was not easily annoyed nor angered. She took a deep breath and concentrated on stopping the shaking. She double checked her hand, and breathed a sigh of relief as she headed of towards the mainframe computers deep within Yagami.

As she departed through the far doors, she looked back suddenly suspicious. She felt like someone was watching her, and she felt that she knew who it was. Let her stare, Washu thought, I have nothing to hide.

Ryoko sat off in the darkness watching her mother depart. She dematerialized through the wall and headed back towards the main parts of the ship. She was wondering what was on Washu's mind, she could feel the building anger, even if she couldn't read Washu's thoughts. She was sure Washu had sensed her and wondered why she choice not to say anything. Perhaps, she would ask another time.

**Somewhere In Space**

There was a lonely, rogue planet on the edge of the solar system, lost eons ago during the formation of the system. It was a cold, harsh planet with little life, as its surface was hardly fit for habitation.

However, deep in an underground cavern, there was a large laboratory, hidden by a forcefield and with a climate controlled by its own machines. This was the perfect place to hide when one was a rogue scientist, conducting hideous experiments, plotting nefarious schemes.

Yes, when one was like Dr. Clay, one had to be extremely careful. But that was, to Dr. Clay's mind, the penalty for seeking true perfection. Those hacks at the academy could not understand. Science only moved with heaps of bodies and charred soil. Nature must be mastered and things must be made more perfect than they are currently.

The tortuous memory of his trial and banishment still rankled him, but they would all see in the end. He would be perfect, he would rule.

Dr. Clay had procured a most useful subject, one whose secrets would give Clay the power he so desired. As he walked towards the prison he designed with this subject in mind, Clay smiled sinisterly to himself. Yes, things would be different in due time. He was learning so much.

**Behind the Prison Doors**

Ryo-Oki lay in the back of her cell in her humanoid form feeling utterly defeated. She had no idea how long she had been imprisoned by Dr. Clay, but she did know the pain of his experiments, experiments bent on discovering the power behind her gem. The gem that allowed her to become a space going vessel of immense power. The gem that united her to her long lost sister, Ryoko. How long had it been since I have felt Ryoko's presence, she wondered. Would she ever see her again?

"Lights out!" shouted the voice of the prison guard who turned off the lights in Ryo-Oki's cell without ceremony, leaving Ryo-Oki to only adjust her self enough to cover herself in her inadequate blanket. It was a good thing that she was furry though she had always wondered why she had fur and Ryoko didn't. That was odd for sisters. What sort of father did they have? All she could remember was her pink-haired mother and her beautiful smile. How Ryo-Oki missed her. Who was going to save her? She felt no connection to anyone, she doubted that anyone knew where she was. With such despairing thoughts pouring through her mind, Ryo-Oki fell into a fitful sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Destination Jurai**

Tenchi nearly fell over as he left the inter-dimensional laboratory and walked back into the house. Tenchi lost his balance because his father Nobuyuki, apparently lost in thought, did not notice the pink door with the crab chime, conspicuous though it was, and walked headlong into his only born child.

Both Nobuyuki and Tenchi yelped in alarm and steadied themselves opposite each other on the hallway walls.

"Oh, Tenchi! My apologies, I just was not looking where I was going. I've got a lot on my mind toni..." Nobuyuki said whilst slowly trailing off as he took in the site of the rather large door leading to the laboratory. "What in the world is this door doing in our hallway!?" he cried.

Tenchi paused and considered just how to answer the question his father had posed. How detailed should he be? Would Nobuyuki readily comprehend what was being told to him?

In the end, Tenchi threw caution to the wind and laid out, in broad strokes, just what had transpired.

When he had finished, his father did not speak for some time. Then, with a resigned sigh, Nobuyuki said to Tenchi, "I guess it was a matter of time until we had a conversation of this sort."

When Tenchi looked surprised, Nobuyuki added, rather abashedly, "Oh, yeah. I have always known about our alien heritage. I say _our _heritage because I am actually a Juraian myself. Well, I am three-quarters Juraian. Your mother was full-blooded."

"Actually, I am part of one of the branch families-the Amaki. So, I too am royal, I just have no lineage tying me to the Juraian throne."

"Honestly," and here Nobuyuki let out a short laugh, "your grandfather would be better able to explain all of this to you. With you going out into space, it only makes sense that the next part of your education begin. You see, you are about the age that we reveal our extra-terrestrial heritage to our youth."

As his father was expounding upon all this-hereto unknown-information, Tenchi found himself dumbfounded. The first thought that came to his mind was whether or not this was actually his father. Tenchi had always known Nobuyuki to be a bungling sort of father figure, with some questionable habits, and an otherwise ordinary earthling. Now, that entire image of his father was shattered. This fact was highlighted by the fact that his father was speaking in a more formal manner than usual. He was being serious, a rare occurrence within itself.

It took some time for Tenchi to find his speech, leading Nobuyuki to feel anxious, prompting him to get up to start pacing the hall way, a move that resulted in a near immediate stumble and face plant. Tenchi, having just begun to speak, snorted with laughter as he tried to get out what he wanted to say. At least that, he thought, was normal. It put him more at ease.

Once his laughter had subsided, though his father was still blushing in shame, Tenchi said, "That...was a surprise. So, you are saying that nothing I said to you was something you could readily understand, father?"

Nobuyuki nodded with a slight smile. "One day, my dear Tenchi, I will let you know just how much your old man knows and may even let you know about my Galaxy Police days!"

Tenchi's eyes widened again as Nobuyuki continued, "Sadly, this is an adventure that I cannot go on. I have too much to take care of here in Tokyo. I cannot just disappear. I will, however, let the school know that you are "ill" and will not be at school for a long while. It'll keep all this space travel business under wraps. Be sure to look up your sister, Tennyo!"

"Sister!? What?!" Tenchi exclaimed.

Nobuyuki looked a bit abashed as he said, "Oh, that is right. You would not know that you have a sister. Allow me to clear that up for you."

"You do realize that everyone that you are now involved with are much older than they look, right?" Tenchi nodded. "Well," Nobuyuki continued, "Tennyo is quite a few years older than you as there was a long separation time for me and your mother. It was around 40 years or so. When you were born, Tennyo posed as a college student, since her apparent age-on Earth-was about 20."

"What's more, Tennyo is a near spitting image of your mother. As a baby, you could not really tell, but Tennyo was able to stand in for your mother from time to time. That came in really handy for date nights."

"Anyway, we could not let you know that she was your sister and it worked out that, after both your mother's death and her college schooling, Tennyo went back out into space. I actually have not heard from her in a long while, but I am fairly sure she is in a nearby solar system. You should meet her! She will love the fact that she can behave as a sister to you, now!"

There was another pregnant, and rather awkward, pause in the conversation. Today had been filled with far too many revelations. Tenchi's head was beginning to hurt and he was fairly sure he could feel the Earth spinning beneath him. He had never felt so disconnected from his home.

As if sensing his son's thoughts, Nobuyuki grasped Tenchi's shoulders, looking him in the eye with kindness and said, "I know this is a lot Tench, and we are dropping this all on you faster than you would like. I apologize for adding to your troubles, but you were going to be told eventually. Just take some time and let it sink in. It'll do you good. I'm still your father, that has not changed, I am just even older than you thought." Upon saying this Nobuyuki headed back to the door. "I think, I will go have a drink and silently celebrate your coming of age. I am sure you will make me proud. Ittekimasu yo!" With that, Tenchi's father left the house and the motley crew to their task.


	10. Chapter 10

**Not What You'd Think**

A short while after Nobuyuki's departure, everyone in the inter-dimensional lab heard a jubilant yell come from near the engine area. It was clear from the pitch and girlish timbre that their resident genius had finished the necessary adjustments to the Yagami.

Everyone rushed from their respective corners of the laboratory to the source of the yell. They found a triumphant Washu standing with arms akimbo, accompanied by those strange robot mini-Washu's cheering her on.

"You're a genius, Washu!"

"You have made this ship amazing, Washu!"

"No one can top you, Washu!"

As the droids continued to chatter Washu began to laugh. The laugh steadily grew in volume and mania. It was certainly the laugh of a mad scientist. Washu let her laughter subside, but still had a dazzling smile of a woman pleased with her accomplishments, happy to have been of service.

The rest of the party drew a bit closer to Washu as Tenchi asked, his eyes half closed in sheepishness, "What was so funny just now, Washu?" He had not noticed that he had addressed her wrongly until he fully opened his eyes and was startled by the extremely close proximity from which Washu scowled at him. "Do I really have to say it, again," she said with pursed lips and gleaming green eyes.

Immediately abashed, Tenchi jumped back, waving his arms in a sign of apology and surrender. "I am so sorry Little Washu, I forgot," he said as he then bowed in the traditional Japanese style. "Let me try again."

"What's going on here...little Washu?" Tenchi said with some timidity. With a strange, gleeful noise she hopped back and nodded once, emphatically, indicating that she was pleased and ready to talk.

"Alright everyone, be ready to be amazed! Now, I won't tell you all the cool features immediately because-who doesn't like a good surprise?" Washu then let loose a short, snort of a laugh.

Everyone stood there slightly shocked. Clearly, this woman was enjoying herself just a little too much. Still, it was nothing to be too concerned about, she was an ally after all. With this in mind, they waited until Washu spoke again.

"Now, I've revved up these engines. There is nothing in the GP fleet that can catch the Yagami, now. I am talking Juraian speed. Space is dangerous enough, and we are not the most desirable people in the galaxy, at the moment. Speed was the first thing we needed."

"I've also upgraded the weapons systems. I will train everyone on their use, just to be safe. The fire power of our dear Yagami is also at Juraian levels. You see, I found a way to use the same types of crystals that give Ryoko her power with GP tech. It was child's play for a genius like me!"

Another snort.

"Anyway, I also have plans for how we will live inside the ship. Normal quarters just won't do. That, however, is a surprise for when we lift off. Now, any questions, thus far?"

When no one answered, she continued, "I've upgraded the database with all the information that I have in my files. If we run into somebody, I'll likely have valuable information on them. As of now, most of the galaxy can be considered our enemies. We are all fugitives, having taken the princesses in. We must assume people are going to be hostile."

"With that in mind, I have also upgraded our shielding, mainly for speed. The GP's shield is already top of the line, so I didn't need to bother with it much."

"All in all, I think we are ready for this trip. We do need to decided how to proceed from now on."

"And that concludes my amazing presentation. Do not pretend as though you aren't impressed, I am a genius, after all." This was followed by more maniacal laughter, this time joined by the awkward laughter of her captive audience.

In truth, no one was quite sure how to think of Washu at this point, but her reputation was no lie. The engines and other systems looked completely different than they were before. In fact, Kiyone was sure that Washu even painted the Yagami. There appeared to be striped patterns near the engines.

Though a little annoyed at Washu's liberties, Kiyone decided to let it go. There were more important things to worry about at this point.

**Breaking News**

While the "crew" of the Yagami were boarding, another news bulletin had hit the galaxy airwaves.

The delicately groomed anchors relayed further information about the situation in Jurai and with the renegade princesses.

"-It seems that the new king of Jurai is still on the hunt for the renegades, Ayeka and Sasami Masaki Jurai. However, there has been some new information leaked that a ship in the same style as Ayeka's Ryu-Oh was spotted in a pitched battle with the Galaxy Police near a backwater planet known as Earth."

"The battle apparently resulted in both the Ryu-Oh and (as we receive more information) the GP ship known as the Yagami crashing to Earth near one of their capital cities. The state of the officers is unknown, but the King of Jurai has informed everyone that the likelihood of any injury or death of the renegade princesses is extremely low, such is the power of Jurai."

"The GP are now dispatching a rescue team towards Earth made up of 5 of their best ships. The Jurai Royals have sent one of their own ships to investigate as well. The pilots of all ships are unknown, but we are assured that these measures will result in the capture of these heinous enemies of the state. The galaxy need not worry about further carnage."

**Juraian Royal Consul Chambers**

Kagato was pleased to hear from his ministers that the information leaks had been making their rounds throughout the galaxy. People were so easy to fool and far too trusting of the news. You would have thought they would know by now, Kagato thought to himself. He then chuckled softly as he sent his ministers off on their other duties.

Now alone in the chamber, Kagato paced. He was awaiting further news. He had not heard from Yugi in regards to her contact with the bounty hunter, Nagi.

Nagi was the best, after all, the only of her kind to stand toe to to with Ryoko and Jurai. Her rivalry with Ryoko, in particular, was the stuff of legend. Even Kagato was impressed by the stories of their pitched space battles and, better yet, the damage they could do to a city in a hand to hand fight.

Kagato would actually prefer to have both Nagi and Ryoko in his employ, but was aware that no one had seen Ryoko for many years. She simply disappeared some time after her attack on Jurai and her battle with the Masaki Jurai.

Having being lost in thought, Kagato had not yet noticed Yugi after she had materialized. Yugi was the silent type, so she was not inclined to speak unless she had to. She was pleased when Kagato broke from his reverie after catching site of her in his peripheral vision.

"So, what news do you have..."

With a smile Yugi answered, "I have excellent news, master. Nagi has accepted our proposal. She will hunt down our "wayward" princesses and bring them to you-alive, of course."

She continued, "She seems excited at the prospect of fighting an appointment that was powerful enough to fell nearly the entire Jurai Royal family. An interesting creature, that Nagi. In any case, our plans are moving forward as we desire." With that, she slowly disappeared, leaving a coy, chesire smile behind as the last thing to fade.

Kagato closed his eyes while thinking to himself, that woman is incredibly odd. Still, she is a great and powerful ally. But, her strangeness always left Kagato a bit unnerved. He was never quite sure if her aims really lie with his own. The woman was a mystery but then-what woman wasn't enshrouded in mystique?

**Yagami 2.0**

Having begun their foray into the depths of space, Washu showed everyone where they would be living.

Tenchi's jaw dropped as he realized that he was looking at his house from Tokyo. The one his father designed. Many questions trundled through his mind at that moment, so he settled with the most obvious of them: "Little Washu, is that my _real _house?"

Washu grinned and bobbed her head in the universal sign for an affirmative answer. "Oh, yes. This is your real house. I did not just make a copy, I simply moved it into a dimensional space within the Yagami's cargo hold. This way we will have supplies we need and be able to sleep comfortably. Thankfully, the house was already big enough for all of us to stay. Your father is quite the architect."

"Thank you for that Washu."

As they all walked in, Mihoshi immediately noticed the television. Much to her chagrin, but not much to her surprise, Mihoshi became kiddie and ran towards the picture box. She looked at Washu in askance, and Washu here nodded once silently, prompting a girlish squeal from Mihoshi as she immediately plopped down on the couch and tried to find her favorite show.

That Washu truly must be the genius that she claims to be, Mihoshi thought to herself. The woman was even able to get galactic cable hooked up in the Yagami. The former quarters of the Yagami could only really be used for playing games and movies. There was no television programming. The idea was to keep the officers from whittling away too much time in front of a box and more time on their duties.

As she was flipping through the channels, Mihoshi stumbled upon a news report about the "crew" of the Yagami. Her eyes widened as the news anchors indicated that she and her partner were presumed victims of the royal turncoats. They had already informed their families of their apparent deaths.

Officially, Mihoshi knew, they were considered missing in action, but that usually was just a nice way of letting a family know that a loved one was dead. What's worse, a loved one with dead and left behind no information as to what happened.

With a sense of urgency, Mihoshi called out, "Kiyone, everyone...you better come see this."

Everyone quickly filed into the room, spurred on by Mihoshi's tone. After a quick double take, the group of renegades crowded around Mihoshi to get a better look. No one spoke and the silence was palpable.

They watched like this for around an Earth hour, until it became clear that the news was in a cycle at this point. There was no new information.

They then held a short conference around the kitchen table, laying down what the report told them and how they should feel about it.

Washu noted that it was an advantage that the news is unaware of the Masaki Jurai's claims to Earth and thus unaware of Tenchi and his grandfather. What was more, the two GP officers could move about with impunity due to their MIA status.

"The more information that we can keep to ourselves the better. We will not be followed, most likely. Also, any ships that we run into, we can have Katsuhito and Tenchi handle the communications. No one knows about them, and they are not supposed to be dead," Washu said in a serious tone.

She continued, "Hopefully, we will not have to use our equipment until we get to each destination. Speaking of which, we have yet to plot a course. Mihoshi, Kiyone and myself will take care of that. It simply will not do to head straight towards Jurai. We need more accurate information. It's obvious that they are feeding the news channels information."

The table was again quiet as everyone let that sink in. As it turns out, their impulse to leave Earth might have been in their best interest after all. The trip was still perilous, but they now knew that they had some maneuvering room.

After this short meeting, there was dinner and some boisterous activity, particularly from a rather drunk Ryoko. She had rediscovered her love of booze and was drinking to her hearts content, continually trying to get Tenchi to part take.

Predictably, the lad repeatedly reminded Ryoko that he was yet of age. After a while, he did so with exasperation, but never with heat.

Having filled their stomachs, everyone left the table. The GP officers and Washu went into Washu's lab (which she had also brought along) to chart the course and plan their moves. Most everyone else went to sleep, it had already been a trying day and, despite their advantageous, they were still fighting an up hill battle.

**Meanwhile**

Nobuyuki was returning from the bar and his "farewell" celebration for Tenchi. He was what one might call "bourbon drunk." This is the sort of drunk where one is really trying to keep their balance but, in a thought only obvious to the drunken mind, people keep leaning the room on you.

He sang songs, rather loudly, and stumbled back home, only to find that his house was completely gone. The entire lot was empty.

"You're kidding, right?" Nobuyuki said to no one. "They took the HOUSE!?"


End file.
